Besides reading and listening to podcasts, my wife and I attend a local real estate investor meetup that has been extremely beneficial. 

I will say that during that time, the HELOC interest rates were very low.  

Plus,  if you have the ability to do another FHA 203k, it's a no-brainer.The low down payment is unbeatable, and then add on that the bank will all finance the renovation!  

That seems low with the 5 units and storage you mentioned unless they are 1 bed units. 

If you're willing to have roommates, your options open much more broadly, and you can potentially assume a loan with a low interest rate. 

Multiple people had some bad things to say about the area, but when I moved and realized that it was a low income area with a lot of homeowners, I was motivated to improve the property to match the effort my neighbors have put in. 

Low barrier to entry, low taxes, landlord friendly, some amazing class A and B suburbs and a strong urban core. 

- very low remaining mortgage balance!!

We've been extremely lucky with our first tenant- she is wonderful.

These range low 500s to the mid 600s.