The taxes can make things difficult, but there are some things you can do to minimize their impact.  

@Asher M.Possible, yes but like your lender pointed out it's going to be difficult to pass the self-sufficiency test (SST) for a legal 3-4 unit property.

Heya Ethan.I've completed 7 secondary suite renovations/developments now and it is extremely difficult to do a true BRRRR where you pull every dime back out again after you refinance.

However, in areas with little appreciation, all investment capital must come from your savings.Summarizing, a city where you can achieve and sustain financial independence must have the following characteristics:Significant and sustained population growth.A pro-business environment with a metro population >1M.Rapid and sustained appreciation.If a city doesn't meet all these requirements, achieving and maintaining financial independence will be difficult.

But, the self-sufficiency test for FHA loans can be really difficult in SF, meaning that the market rent from units you will not occupy must be sufficient to pay for the mortgage payment. 

To me, QB felt like overkill and I found it difficult to use since I don't have an accounting or bookkeeping background.

Congrats on your success so far.Some random thoughts for you:- It might be difficult to tap the equity in the rental at this time given the current state of interest rates. 

People come to me to invest because I've shown over several decades that I can produce results, and when the market doesn't go our way and results are difficult to produce, I've shown that I can achieve the best outcome possible and weather storms without losing people's money. 

 @Greg Abel I think it's important to consider the long-term, as changing property management software is difficult.

You will have a very difficult time finding a lender.