Mortgage rates would likely stay above 7%, keeping financing costs high and reducing affordability for buyers.Investors takeaway: Focus on off-market properties and motivated sellers where there’s more room for negotiation.

Capital Gains & Exit Strategies: If I decide to sell in the future, what are the best ways to reduce capital gains taxes?

I think funding someone else who is experienced when starting would be a great way to reduce your risk.

However, co-living allows you to acquire properties with as little as 0%-5% down, drastically reducing the amount of cash required.Instead of needing $100K+ to buy a rental, a co-living strategy lets you start with a fraction of the cost while achieving higher returns.3.

You could also reward staff for lease renewals, positive guest reviews, and reducing unnecessary expenses.

We do not raise it to market rents, we keep it at lease 10% below to try and reduce turnover.

By systematizing these areas, you can shift from a reactive approach—where deals dictate your strategy—to a proactive model that generates high-quality acquisitions with reduced risk.2.

To the OP, if you can house hack in your local area, that would reduce the risk of investing in a far away market. 

Should I wait until I can dedicate more energy to this?

As Jay noted, why don't you focus you energy on delegating tasks to employees. you may find a pwrtner who has similar motivations today, but it's almost guaranteed that your interests will misalign down the road.