Self-managing can be a great way to stay directly involved, but it’s also important to consider the demands it can place on your time, resources, and expertise.I'm certain, you have experienced some real frustrations with that PM company, but a strong property management company that can align with your overall needs, can sometimes be a priceless investment when it comes to staying compliant. 

I understand equity and cash-flow are related, but what I mean is that I don't need the cash flow right now as much as I'd like to build a strong portfolio that can cash flow even more later on.I've owned a single-family rental for 4 years, but on mulitple fronts I felt like I've done a poor job self-managing it, so this Fall I picked up the Turners' book on managing rentals and that's what led me here to Bigger Pockets online.

So getting one involved now and sooner rather than later is a great move on your part.

I am bidding out there in two markets daily, it's been almost 3 months and I fully understand this is a process.

It involves investing in strong growth markets, diversifying, and buying distressed properties.

My understanding is that the buyer assuming the loan has to meet the same credit/underwriting criteria as the original borrower, but this is not my area of expertise - lenders are typically not involved in assumptions.

Like others have posted, you sound like an IDEAL borrower, including with your local banks...just as long as you (or your Fractional CFO) are talking to the "right" banks that understand investment properties.

The thing that some sellers are having trouble with is understanding that this is now a variable in the transaction where it use to be somewhat set at the beginning of the transaction.

This log will be invaluable in case of an audit.3.Grouping PropertiesWhile I’m not an expert in international tax law, my understanding is that you can group all your properties together for material participation purposes.

Like most things in real estate, a lot depends on the circumstances of the individuals involved and not just the numbers and figures.I hope this helps explain my thoughts, and I apologize for the lack of clarity when I defined "arbitrage".