Take a look at what markets you are planning on starting in and make sure it is a growing market where the appreciation is obvious. 

Syndicates that used lower leverage points and have far-out maturities (such as 2029 or later) are likely to survive as long as they don't run out of cash to maintain the assets for longer-than-planned hold times. 

Quote from @Raif Jochim: Bigger Pockets Community -I'm trying to plan for the future and have a question I'd like your thoughts on.  

For a tax specialist, look for someone experienced in real estate investing to maximize deductions and plan for your goals.

@Ben LeybovichI think in the perfect world, new investors would spend enough time and energy learning how to analyze properties themselves, what the various calculations mean, etc.

I do plan to live on a percentage of the cash flow. 

It’s great to hear you stuck to your plan and still came out ahead, even with a few bumps along the way.

I have about 30k right now mostly in a HYSA and am planning to just hang on, I afford everything with my salary and roommates.

Martin the property management argument isn't really an argument if you look at the bigger picture that most investors don't want to manage their properties anyways because they are spending most of the time on their main job.

Expect to spend several thousand.