I can definitely say that while the bigger fire we had was a pain... it actually worked out really well... in the end we had a much improved property, and we stepped in and did as much of the work we could do ourselves that the insurance company was compensating us at  'retail' rates for... like painting, and replacing cabinets, and other simple tasks.  

Quote from @Kyle Rader: Help me out We need more information than that to effectively identify your struggles and pain points.

Would you mind taking this 8 question survey to help me understand your pain points as an investor? 

It would also be painful to move all my units to another platform that syndicates with Zillow, without removing the risk that Zillow may decide at any time to drop any given platform .

Going out to Alabama means you’ll have to file state income tax there—pain in the butt for $200/mo.A buy box that makes sense for your investment goals.

Florida has been painful because of the insurance.

I do need to look closer to the airport since that is near where my husband's job will be and would love to reduce his commute which is currently a pain in the butt here in CA.

It pains me to say this since I have been an appraiser for a long time. 

if you're willing to put up with the pain and inconvenience - moving every 1-3 years, living in the smaller / worse units, DIYing things - you could have a portfolio of 5-20 units in 10 years, just by using your house payment.maybe the house you have would be an OK rental. 

Yes rent control is a pain in *** and there are tenants who haven't paid.