I thought that curtains over blinds was something that a lot of the STR gurus pushed. 

If you see utilities increasing, is there a way that you can push this on to the tenant?

Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal level Learn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are needed Know everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

But personally, sometimes the best strategy is protecting what you've built rather than pushing for more.

QB really is not made well for landlords and landlords leave QB every day for better software, payment processing is really expensive, and with QB there's no tenant portal for your tenants to schedule payments or push maintenance requests. 

YES, but don't push your agent business.

You want a hustler, not a top performer, if you want check-ins.I appreciate the candor and would definitely agree that my framework is all in theory until I can get a proof of concept for these out of state deals.I like your idea of pushing my boundaries in CA.

If you can take 8 properties and move them to 3 bigger & better one's great, I would push you further and say take it to 2 even better one's.  

For me, it was live in flips, short term rentals, mid term rentals, good income with a solid savings rate, buying after tax index funds, paying off the primary house, driving old cars, moving a lower cost of living area (from Houston to small town Maine), and selling a business to push me over the top. 

I'd be happy to answer your newbie questions and push you out of your paralyzed state.