I recommend doing a deep dive in the STR rabbit hole and seeing if not just the numbers make sense, but also the time it will take up for you or your STR manager.

By house hacking, you're immediately positioned as a landlord, which will adequately pressure you to learn how to structure your leases, screen applications, collect rental payments, resolve the nuances of managing tenants and addressing property issues, etc.

This is how I see it:Single-Family Homes:Pros:Larger pool of potential tenants (families).Simpler management (one tenant, one lease).Often easier to finance.May appreciate faster in some markets.Cons:Only one income stream.Vacancy hits harder financially.Duplexes:Pros:Two potential income streams.Live in one unit and rent the other (house hacking!)

Quote from @Erick Pena: A "good" rental property is one that covers all expenses (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance, property management fees, and any other costs) and still leave a surplus (commonly referred to as cash flow).Calculate cash flow as: Cash Flow = Rental Income − Operating Expenses − DebtThere's much more to it, but that's the basic idea.

Build a strong team, including agents, lenders, and property managers, and use tools like the BiggerPockets calculator to analyze deals.

Start by going to www.narpm.org to search their directory of managers.

She also mentioned that they’ve been in real estate since 2006 and have managed over 30 properties (though this is more of a side business for them), which suggests a mom-and-pop operation.

Hi, I was wondering if there's any good reliable places to market tenant in place + management in place properties. 

If you don't want to manage the property at all, you are losing money on the management when small scale management is not hard at all with a little help.

I currently work for a property management company also located in the Midwest so please reach out if you have any questions!