I think I could have happily outsource the work to a contractor, while not living in them, and feel just fine without over-improving them so much.  

Once you actually start making money, then I suggest you outsource so you can focus on growth. 

.$2,500 is not a bad little nest egg to start with, but if you are outsourcing your letters that really is only going to get you about ~4.5 mailings at 500 each time.

If I was home with her all day every day that would be WHY I would need to outsource things NOT an opportunity to get other stuff done

I was originally going to outsource the interior and exterior paint, patching, and pressure washing for my 1200 SF SFH rental, but I ended up being way over budget on the rebuilding of a room and now am desperately trying to slash my remaining expenses.  

I had heard the stories about outsourcing and "truly passive income" and made a mistake.

I haven't had a problem with my section 8 tenants.The only thing i don't like is when CGI (outsourced by Newark Housing) come to do their annual inspections they fail you for minor things like a loose toilet seat

Find your strength and outsource the rest. 

Hi Eric, if you have the funds, you can outsource the programming and graphics design. 

Outsourcing is a good way to run operations and get a lot of things done.