Pay particular attention to the yards, driveways, and exteriors for clues.

Is this possible to delay or nix capital gains? 

One of the regrets I had after gaining some experience: we could have qualified independently for FHA loans that we took on together before we were married.

We come across a lot of owners super frustrated with their current manager and the main issue seems to be communication, on top of cleaning/maintenance and lack of attention to detail. 

And there're other potential capital gain tax deferral strategies to ask your accountant about.Myth 9: this post will never endFine, I'll stop.But here is the closing thought.

low cashflow high appreciationNotes purchased in the secondary market at discount to remaining principal balance have the built in capital gain profit with potential for greater ROI thru early payoff or early PARTIAL paydown.  

At some point, even for an entrepreneur like yourself, you may want to take chunks of the wealth you create from building and exiting businesses and put that money into something that doesn't require your full-time attention, but still can generate cash flow and/or appreciate in value.

This is appealing for short-to-medium term gains, especially if you’re confident in your ability to refinance or sell in 15 years.

I would prefer to hang it somewhere where they work with investors so I can gain experience before my first transaction.

Quote from @Patience Echem: When I hear cash is king, I have understood it to be a negotiation tactic where you offer all cash to quickly gain the deal.