Now, probably after a long and drawn out court battle, a plaintiff can probably get the lien removed as a “sham”, but a cursory examination by the typical plaintiffs attorney would probably not produce that conclusion.  

Call me old fashioned, but real estate is an income producing physical asset.

Craigslist wasn't pretty, but it was easy to use, and it worked (I found lots of great tenants via Craigslist) ...unfortunately, over the years, Craigslist produced fewer and fewer tenants, and more and more spam.  :( These days, nearly all my new tenants come from Facebook Marketplace.  

But if hold on them for awhile and pay them off, then your family and kids and enjoy the income they produce.

The modules are over 40 videos and weekly calls that happen 3 to 4 times a week geared to mentor you along the way till your units start producing like they should.

Reach out to the Marcus & Millichap offices in Columbus/Cleveland and have one of the MMCC commercial mortgage brokers produce a few quotes for you.If you don't have the time to research contact info / programs for 25-50 different lenders and make the calls/emails necessary to obtain optimal financing, hire a broker.

Our 2025 goal is at least 2 income producing properties, with usable equity. 

As I see it in the current market, STR is now a way to get a really good, appreciating asset to pay for itself, not a way to produce a meaningful amount of cash flow after all expenses. 

Other distractions include non income-producing activities - aka any distraction pulling you to do something other than speaking with and following up with people.How can I prepare myself?

I would also recommend looking at cities close to Greenville, like Anderson, Easley, & Simpsonville as well since Greenville can be competitive unless you are looking at off-market deals.Also the non-occupancy tax would be based on the tax assessed value of the property and not the income it produces.