Mostly due to the fact my spouse and I agreed on her to have zero involvment in any sort of RE investing (and its our home) I think once you have a good 6-12 months of reserve cash (operating expenses for your own life saved as a back up incase things go bad) save enough liquidity to get the ball rolling on your first invesment.

That may or may not involve a trust. 

The cash flow is a bit sub par on this one and I anticipate some larger expenditures coming my way in a year or two so I'm contemplating this as an option.

Platforms like Angi or a quick Google search can also help you find reliable options.

An option to better understand and see the model without having to spend all the time is turnkey interesting.

If real estate is involved, separating it into its own LLC before the sale can simplify the process and make it easier to leverage a 1031 exchange.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

Detroit would be a solid option if you're strategy involves a little more risk for potentially higher cash flow. 

Some/many lenders don't like a 2nd mortgage behind their first (like the skin in the game), however there are both bridge or permanent financing options out there allowing you to leverage anywhere from 90% CLTV - 100% CLTV, but don't expect good terms...

I involved insurance, remediation, restoration and they all did their part and finished in 2 weeks.

But there’s another option that’s often overlooked: mortgage recasting.