You’ve made a great choice diving into real estate investing—it can truly be life-changing.

I am sure there are other good choices out there, but strongly recommend them.Stessa is lacking tenant communications and maintenance tracking, but overall stands up pretty well as free, or nearly free.Buildium is pricey and has a learning curve, but if you are going to exceed 20 units, definitely look to migrating to a real professional package like buildium

You can do a duplex though, which might not be a bad idea.With your credit score, conventional might be a good choice, you only need 5% down for 2-4 units if you live in one. 

The garden unit tenants stopped paying rent, and I had no choice but to start the eviction process, which is still ongoing.

Maximizing cashflow becomes a strategy choice that accounts for your market and tenants.

So, you have your choices of closed ended or open ended structures. 

Both cater to businesses with high transaction volumes and often customize services for clients who need frequent wires and robust credit options.Ultimately, your choice might depend on the frequency of foreign wires versus domestic ones and how much value you place on credit card perks.

You lock in your interest rate and if rates drop you can prepay at any time and refinance at a lower rate without penalty.If the deal is commercial, whether commercial multifamily (5+ units), office, industrial, self storage, hotel, you name it...the choice becomes far more difficult. 

You have a choice in STR. 

Starting with single-family and small multi-family properties is a smart choice, especially out of state.