You count those hours and the travel time, the offer prep, the research, and your wage is low.Most consumers also think we get the whole check.

If there was a radically cheaper way that consumer WANTED in mass, it would happen.

Tools like SWOT analysis and competitive benchmarking provide insights into the competitive landscape.Demographic StudiesAnalyze demographic data to understand consumer behavior and preferences.

You can start by cohosting or by rental arbitrage to learn about short term rentals.Some info I’ve consumed has been the following:I like Airbnb automated & the host offers a free mini course called million dollar rental.

If the goal is psychological because you have too much debt to sleep well at night then sell some properties and use the proceeds to pay off the debt on your remaining properties; or better still obtain the services of either a psychologist who can get you over your uneasiness or seek out a financial advisor who can convince you of the difference  between consumer debt “ bad” and investment/business debt “good”. 

@Patrick Mulligan adding to @Cesar Castro if your first purchase was $281,500 that would have consumed about $70,375 of $121,087 normal VA benefits limits.

I think self management would be very doable for you and your spouse provided you either buy decent units or get them renovated quickly minimizing the need for time consuming repairs.

And if a long-term lease like we have in commercial real estate, you can schedule increases in the rent rate on a yearly or biennial basis, either at a fixed negotiated rate like 2% or linked to the CPI or consumer price index, which in 2022 was up 9% and this past year was up only about 4% but traditionally is up only one or two percent a year.

It's the most susceptible and bottomless aspect of consumer discretionary income.

It makes it easier for bad actors to commit fraud on their application.The article does say "The report will be made available to landlords at no cost and will have to be prepared by a consumer credit reporting agency" but landlords should be able to verify that somehow and ensure there have been no changes.