While it may reduce your immediate returns, a good PM will help minimize risk and maximize long-term profitability.Good luck!

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

Cost to wait is maybe save couple grand on zoning attorney but could potentially make that up by earning some rent earlier (vs. unused space). 

So far, I’ve worked on automating things like tracking expenses, sending out emails, and setting reminders for important deadlines.I’m wondering if anyone has any other suggestions for tasks I should look into automating to save time and streamline my workflow?

@Laura GenoneI have my own information saved as a contact in my phone and it allows me to text, airdrop, or email my information to people I network with.

For funding, explore options like FHA loans, personal savings, or creative financing, and focus on New Jersey markets that align with your goals, such as Newark for rentals or commuter towns for house hacking.

Why not just save for the downpayment and work on increasing income to qualify for a traditional loan?

You need to save money, learn and network.

I've included an example below to help illustrate this.So different lenders have different rates (which do vary even for DSCR loans) but these are factors they all consider.See example below:DSCR < 1Principal + Interest = $1,700Taxes = $350, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $50Total PITIA = $2200Rent = $2000DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2000/2200 = 0.91Since the DSCR is 0.91, we know the expenses are greater than the income of the property.DSCR >1Principal + Interest = $1,500Taxes = $250, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $25Total PITIA = $1875 Rent = $2300DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2300/1875 = 1.23If a purchase, you also generally need reserves / savings to show you have 3-6 month payments of PITIA (principal / interest (mortgage payment), property taxes and insurance and HOA (if applicable).

Note our policy on application priority maximizes our rental income.