@Marc Shin, I echo Gino's thoughts.First the financial: assessing any improvements will come down to how those improvements affect both your cashflow and your overall value of the asset.  

The total cash flow since ownership has been poor (but improving fairly fast), but the overall return has been good (not as good as my usual but this is because of the rates increased). 

The only rule that has changed in the last 18 months is the seasoning requirement, which is a lending name for waiting period, to be able to use an improved value to pull cash out has gone from 6 to 12 months.

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

Eventually you will improve.

I am new here, but I have been watching videos from the Bigger Pockets team on YouTube for a few months. 

This can reduce rates, improve cash flow and un-encumber properties for other usages. - Borrow more or less than you need.

However, it improves fast.  

The hard part is figuring out what you can easily delegate but that is true of most businesses (I was good at it when I worked for someone else, but not good at it for my own items but want to improve).  

@Anastasia MonroTo achieve financial independence in real estate, focus on boosting savings, improving credit, getting pre-approved for a mortgage, searching for properties with high rental demand, researching local laws and regulations, building a team, staying educated, preparing for property maintenance and management, and being patient and persistent.