With your strong W2 income, you’re in a position to recover and reassess your strategy.If you decide to stay in REI, focus on what worked—like your earlier BRRRRs and house hack.

What markets do you want to stay in?

These areas are experiencing significant development and population growth, driven by families and professionals seeking more affordable housing while staying close to the job hubs in Plano, Frisco, and even parts of North Dallas.

To get those hours, maybe turn one or two into medium term rentals (you want the average stays to be over 7 days so they don't fall into STR status) which would give her more to do, particularly in the first year of furnishing them and getting everything set up.Alternatively, she maybe she could manage the properties but also get her RE license and try to sell a house or two a year - go to lots of open houses or run them for other agents?

@Brendan M Hornung If you purchased a subject-to (sub-to) rental property, filing taxes correctly is key to maximizing deductions and staying compliant.

I would tell people today that if you buy a primary residence expect to stay in that home for atleast five years, especially with a FHA loan which has lower down payment as the current forecasts for home appreciation or very low which with closing costs on the buy and sell, it will take several years to have equity in the property and enough to be able to sell, so that is something also to consider.

The original six month tenant I had extended the lease 9 times and stayed a total of 5 years, paying me about $15k over market rent annually.  

✅ Pros: Lower costs, better cash flow, diversification, scalability⚠ Cons: Harder management, reliance on local teams, financing challengesTips:Visit the market first and build a trusted team (agent, PM, contractor).Choose landlord-friendly states with strong rental demand.Consider a low-maintenance property for your first deal.If staying local, you gain hands-on experience, but out-of-state investing can work with proper due diligence.2.

Over the next couple of years, I don’t plan to use the property often, but I may stay there occasionally when it’s not occupied.

It possible that the market will stay low for a long time.