Every day I mark how many calls to leads I made, how many people I contacted (and was it email, call, text) from my database/past clients....how many social media posts I answered or made, etc.I don't know if that's automating, but every week I can quickly see how much of each money generating thing I did.Do you use Google Calendar? 

Typically people only get insurance on things that they own, or liability insurance for their own protection. 

I see why people hate permits.

This is not the best way to invest in real estate as you lose out on principal pay down but it gets you instant income that you can make mostly passive by hiring out the property management.

I warn people over and over and over to know what they are buying and to go personally see what they are buying. 

Many people choose NOT to have this, because the administrator will then vet every investment you make to ensure you do not invalidate your IRA.Invalidating your IRA means that you've done a prohibited transaction and the entire account is then deemed as distributed to you.If you don't want checkbook control, then I recommend a plan administrator such as Equity Trust - www.trustetc.comIf you are sure that you're aware of all the rules around prohibited transactions and disqualified people (who you can and can't do business with), then a plan administrator like Sense Financial would be a good place to start talking.  

This is a fantastic group of supportive people who are always eager to help and see you succeed.Best of luck! 

W2s, personal homes and K1s are usually straightforward and can be DIY-ed by most computer-savvy and financially-savvy people.

The challenge with unsafe areas is (1) potentially higher cost of maintenance such as broken windows, etc. and (2) this is by no means meant to be discriminatory but anecdotally from people I've spoken to the challenging tenants tend to be at the lower price points.

My immediate area, 5200 people, has 3 outdoor self storage and 1 new climate controlled.