The rental market is already showing signs of recovery:Spring Is Coming: Historically, the rental market picks up momentum in the spring as tenants prepare to move during warmer months or ahead of the school year.Early 2025 Trends Are Positive: In just the first week of January, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in rental applications, suggesting pent-up demand from renters who delayed their searches in November and December.What Landlords Can Do NowTo make the most of this recovery, consider:Refreshing Your Listings: Update your photos, descriptions, and pricing to ensure your properties stand out.Offering Incentives: Temporary discounts or move-in bonuses can help fill vacancies quickly.Being Patient: The market is already bouncing back, so don’t panic if your property takes a bit longer to lease than usual.What’s been your experience?

Quote from @Monish Anand: Start by looking for personal recommendations from investors in that market, then look on realtor.com or a google search.DO NOT use agents suggested by a website like realtor, Zillow, etc.

Like Dan, we have a standardized paint (white clay by Behr in eggshell, but SW will mix it NP) Thank you for the suggestions Marcus.

Does anyone have experience with this and have a suggestion of which to go with?

Any suggestions on the best ways to make the switch to becoming a full time investor and help grow my family's (and my own) portfolio?

Do you have any suggestions on how we can secure long-term financing under these circumstances?

They suggest, you buy and place. 

Seeing out there if anyone has any reading lists or content suggestions for sales or negotiation in Real Estate.

What markets would you suggest looking at?

Would highly suggest getting a subscription and making sure you look at properties that match your condo and see what they're making each year.