The best part is the free CD is nothing more than a bunch of vague suggestions about how you can make all this money in real estate and vague bragging sessions about how he has been around so long and wants to give you all his knowledge before he croaks (paraphrased) Someday I will be completely immune to the crooks attempts at separating me from my hard earned money.

Quote from @Peter Firehock: Introduction:Well you've certainly put together a long and comprehensive analysis.   

As I've come to terms with this I have taken the last five months to regroup and really think about the future which brings me to my post and what I'd like to get the communities opinion on.I successfully negotiated and acquired one of my duplexes in 2017 that I nearly have paid off (note balance is $54k, property value $230k).

Or. if you can’t wait that long. 

This last bank limitation isn't a bad thing in my opinion because the long-term rental yields are low and what are you going to do if a tenant doesn't pay?

Or you can go a DSCR route (sometimes with no seasoning) but the terms suck.

Long term/ short term rentals would work, ideally in the $400k range or lower. 

Hey @Eric Andersen, so there are a lot of regs in the DFW area.https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/short-term-rentalsRentals are not allowed in residential districts: A-#, AR, B, R1, R2, CR, C, D, UR.Dallas recently banned STRs in single family homes but there was an injunction that blocked it.

From there you can start to identify what you are looking for.Where do you land on the follow spectrums:Cash flow and AppreciationLong term or Short term needs (waiting for growth vs get out of my W2 now)Long term rentals, Mid term rentals, Short term rentalsBuying close to home or coast to coastSelf manage or hire a PMIf you can narrow in on those, you essentially have your buy box. 

I'm going to start writing weekly logs of my journey as a landlord - successes and mistakes.