The tenant pools are great, as we are the State capital, we have two MAJOR hospitals, government jobs, large developments happening (out-of-state union workers), MSU, Lansing Community College, and so on. 

If the investor is looking for both appreciation and cash flow; they need to be looking at cities/markets with growth (population and jobs), along with a consistent decrease in crime (all over the past 2 decades). 

That said, I think it’s impressive that you’re able to manage this with fewer accounts—hats off to you for making it work efficiently.For me, having accounts like income, operating expenses, marketing, and taxes gives each dollar a specific job.

Each bedroom shouldn't need to go through the common area to exit the building4.

Go around the nation, you'll notice this is a common trend.You need to bid deeper, and agents need to start pricing things more appropriately. 

Yes it’s common to have an additional guarantor who has a balance sheet added as a credit enhancement.

I aim to allocate a small amount of funds toward a Roth IRA and a high-yield savings account (HYSA).My current job offers limited opportunities for overtime, so I’m exploring side work related to real estate, such as part-time property management or similar roles.

Don’t buy more than your job can support. 

Hey @Steve Johnson, I found your website but it does not explicitly mention HVAC and I actually was about to ask on the forum if anyone had a recommendation for a furnace repair job... not a big job, one unit in a duplex not working properly.

It is Class A so shouldn't be taking too much risk, buuuut a tenant like that with the right job and finances could be a great tenant.