It worked out well, but not without its challenges, and I learned a ton along the way.How to find a partner: Meetups and forums like this are great places to start.

This season often poses challenges in attracting tenants.

The 38128 is slightly below the median and is in a decent area, but definitely an area on the more challenged end of the spectrum in Memphis. 

I know some might disagree.The challenge is if someone applies and meets all your criteria and you reject them, I would hate for you to end up in some legal hot water.

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.

While there are undeniable challenges—higher interest rates, tighter lending conditions, and market uncertainty—there are also unique opportunities that can make real estate a very prudent choice if approached thoughtfully.

Our portfolio currently cash flows, but cash flow isn’t our top priority right now since we plan to use this portfolio to supplement our retirement in 12 years when I leave the Army.My biggest challenge is committing to an out-of-state market.

Your case is indeed a challenging one, especially when traditional lenders are hesitant. 

Sometimes I think, well maybe that newby is an expert at draining swamps....or they have a helicopter to reach the landlocked property and want to practice aerial concrete and building material transport.There was a guy on here the other day, challenging me that he could not possibly go look at all the "deals" he was going to buy in Florida for 10c on the $1. 

This is a challenging time to place tenants.  6 weeks is my second longest ever with the longest being a unit that was ready mid December and took over 8 weeks. 4 months is long.