I never met a banker who would give me money to play the stock market and I never saw the tax advantages I get from real estate in stocks so I’ll keep on doing what I know .

If you're using one of the calculators just input hypothetical purchase amounts to see what they look like... play the "What If" game. 

One thing that worked for me was to find a value add play. The

If you want to play the game long term you have to be okay with base hits sometimes. 

Trying to play the mental game and convince myself that if I view both properties together as a portfolio, the numbers make a lot of sense even if the SFH doesn't do a lot on its own.

You can take your chances and play the numbers game but why not put other people to work for you and compensate them when they bring you deal?

Then, comes into play the questions about investment properties.

This is where some art more than science can come into play. The

After getting my initial bid done from the contractor I then had to play the waiting game, after the lender got the bid it had to be resubmitted due to the fact the contractor didn't line itemize his entire bid.

That could mean due on sale, legal fees, rate hikes, or a dozen other ways of making your life miserable.To succeed at real estate you have to play the long game.