Your plan to handle the strategic aspects remotely while a property manager handles onsite issues is smart, and as long as you log your work and stay hands-on, you’ll likely qualify for active status.

Play it smart by aligning your investments with your goals, timing, and risk appetite.

to your point, if you save up so that you're in a strong financial position, house hack a solid duplex in a decent neighborhood, make smart decisions, and hold it indefinitely, you'll be fine.conversely, if you have $0 and somehow start out with a risky flip, or borrow $20K and spend it all on a magic mentoring program, or buy a terrible property in a neighborhood you've never been to, you may not be fine.

You are smart to be aware of these landmines, they might be good if you are just looking for a nice place to live but not great if you want to build a portfolio.  

I thought he was super smart and a straight shooter. 

Help your clients write smart offers based on #4.

With enough knowledge you can make a educated decision on which approach you take.My experience:I personally don't sign up for any program who take you aside during events and try to sell packages that is just blatant sales strategy.Once you sign up there is every attempt to make you sign for their programs for bookkeeping, registered agent, LLC or corp setup fee which have ridiculous even with platinum membership.Basic standard structure they suggest to take advantage of multiple deductions can be easily achieved by proper education or work with a good firm like https://wcginc.com  who is local to you.A umbrella C-crop to manage all other LLC properties and take advantage of many tax deductions that are not available with a llc, its also used to take losses up to 100K as startup expenses and dissolve the entity after few years.Few LLC entities for investing in Real Estate, etc preferably in Wyoming or Nevada ( you can find many companies online who can do this for $150 compared to anderson $1500-$3000) , they will claim they have a secret Operating agreement which is bogus.They certainly try to take advantage of tax loopholes and claim to be smart people, my view they are just taking advantage of numbers as per their own statements.

Detroit can be a fantastic market with strong cash flow and good appreciation potential, but it’s definitely a unique place with its own quirks.Starting with cash is a smart move, especially in Detroit, where local knowledge and relationships can make a huge difference.

And, depending on where your properties are in Portland, the value might be near its peak—selling while they’re in top condition could be a smart move.Ultimately, it comes down to what will give you the most peace of mind and the most flexibility for the future.

Hitting local meetups is smart—Tampa has a great investor community where you can connect with wholesalers and lenders.