While the debt would whip out most of the profit for 'x' amt of time, it would seem to be logical to take on the risk at a net zero income for x amt of years if after that point, the cashflow is all positive.

While it may seem daunting at first, beginning with a clean slate allows you to establish clear expectations and build a strong landlord-tenant relationship from the outset.

Prioritize deals that offer steady long-term returns over ones that seem too good to be true.DSCR Loans for Growth:Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) loans can be a game-changer for investors who want to scale.

Seems like you're in a good spot with lots of options.

We haven't event gotten our minds wrapped around cost segregation and depreciation, and our current CPA doesn’t seem to have a handle on these concepts either … 

I had looked into Pricelabes a couple years ago and didn't think it worked well for my market, but sometimes think about retrying it because so many seem to rely on it.

It can depend on the property, but owner paying the bills seems rare these days. 

The pocket thing seems nice as long as you could control who moves in and who does not move in. 

Not sure how many PMCs you've had bad experiences with, but we'll take exception to:"Then do a thorough research on tenant applicants (note: leaving this to a PM may be hazardous to your financial health)".BP seems to have more threads about screening mistakes by DIY landlords as opposed to PMCs.Now, if you'd have mentioned Maintenance, you'd get no argument from me:) Even the PMC industry acknowledges maintenance as one of the biggest challenges.Rereading my post, I kinda see how I sounded negative toward PMs.  

Your criteria seem a bit strict for Section 8 applicants.