I would meticulously research your PMs.

There are some meticulous realtors out there, but many simply are not.Point is, don't let the mistakes of one realtor or transaction derail you. 

You don't want to waste time on what worked 10 years ago.You need to witness someone actively working on their craft.2.

I would not call real estate financial freedom  we all work our butts off to get to where we are at or want to be or whatever.I would call it something else  like financial independence  because we do have to continue to work at the craft.. at least I do .. but to me its not work never has been.. so if I look at it that way I got there at 18 years 4 months and 15 days .. the day I got my first commission check. 

One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal as an agent or broker is the art of crafting compelling property listings.

I do all the wheeling & dealing ( I'm pretty good at getting discounts), and all repair/improvement work needed, and she keeps very meticulous books and does tenant screening.My immediate goals are to:- Continue purchasing at least 1 buy and hold property per year.- Educate myself on the tax lien process and attend a few auctions.- Keep my eyes open for my first real "flip".

I would go interview at a team for multiple brokerages, that is one thing I did not do starting out, I had a great mentor, but did not have a team to feed me leads that I could go convert to get the reps in and be better at that craft of realtor.

Am I wasting my time keeping meticulous notes and spreadsheets for tax purposes?

Personally, I think getting the names and addresses of absentee owners - especially if they have owned the property for 10 years or longer and are out of state - and sending them a carefully crafted letter is a good weapon to have in your arsenal. 

., What do you use for your rental application and employment verification forms, something you crafted or a service?