If you don't care about income and are more of a capital gain kind of guy, prices are already high (as you noticed) and there's plenty of land available to buy so I'm not sure how much is left in the tank.

Real Estate values, nationally, have never decreased over any 10 years. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUSFocus on optimizing active income first.

One thing I’ve noticed is how many licensed agents don’t fully understand the contracts they’re using or the local real estate laws.

Over the last year, we noticed a few key trends worth highlighting:Market Recovery Signs:Loan volumes reached $539 billion in 2024, up 26% year-over-year.

States which DO NOT require licensing for originating or negotiating a loan secured by commercial real estate nor a loan secured by non owner occupied residential real estateALASKA ARKANSAS COLORADO CONNECTICUT DCDELAWARE FLORIDA GEORGIAHAWAIIIOWAINDIANAKANSAS KENTUCKY INDIANAKANSAS LOUISIANAMASSMARYLAND MAINEMISSOURI MISSISSIPPI MONTANANORTH CAROLINA NEBRASKANEW HAMPSHIRE NEW MEXICO OHIOOKLAHOMA PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE TEXAS WASHINGTON WISCONSINWEST VIRGINIAStates which DO NOT require licensing for originating or negotiating a loan secured by commercial real estate but DO require licensing for a loan secured by non owner occupied residential real estateIDAHO MINNESOTA OREGON UTAH VIRGINIA States that DO require licensing for both residential and commercial real estate loan origination and brokeringARIZONACALIFORNIAILLINOIS MICHIGANNEW YORK NORTH DAKOTA NEW JERSEY NEVADASOUTH DAKOTA Good list Don.One thing I notice is so many lenders say they are located in Las Vegas.

💪 I just noticed... you're from Norfolk?

Here is how to find such a CPA:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/1222774-expla...You probably (argh, can't help myself) noticed that I was pointedly talking about the initial year.

Ask if they upcharge maintenance, charge to go to eviction court, post notice, etc. etc.

I've tried the lower 6-7% PMs and usually you'll either pay mark ups on repairs (what you've noted) or pay extra fees (i.e. labor hours, extra calls) that you may or may not notice. 

A new owner with more capital can easily come in and decrease vacancy rates and increase supply to realize a 2-3x revenue.