The eventual goal for me though is to transition into investing in real estate myself and not just doing it for other people :).  

@Sathiya Deva, you've actually got several things going for you that could help you to transition your portfolio into the PHX area and do it with both tax free and tax sheltered monies.The sale of your primary residence can be tax free if timed right.  

It was not a smooth transaction by any means but I double closed it.   

I own a very stressful business.This is why we are transitioning to REI full time.  

Yes, it's not smooth at all.

. :-) Phil has been in the construction industry his whole life, primarily single family homes and has recently transitioned into multi-unit residential developments.

I agree with all about working with inspectors to make things move smoothly.

The process there all went smoothly, then they turned around and sold it to Wells Fargo. 

I would like some thoughts around successful transition plans some of you have tried to increase rent, move some tenants out and transition utilities back to all tenants (water is currently paid by the owner). 

It's always a good feeling to see others who have transitioned from a solid career to some level of real estate investing.