Only thing I think I may not be adequately budgeting for is maintenance/repairs?

So, a big hurdle to getting kids back is finding safe and adequate housing.

The fire department reported that the smoke detectors were not adequate and items were blocking some of the passageways. 

@John SmithYou should get adequate knowledge of real estate and strategies you are planning to apply.Also explore various financing and partnering options.You can start by joining local real estate clubs, attending meetups and connecting with local agents and investors.Do a thorough local market research and analysis.A local Investor-Agent can help shorten your learning curve and save you a lot of headaches as they tend to understand the market better.All the best!

I work in the healthcare industry and although my job is stable and the income is adequate, it is just a job.  

A credit card with $10k-$15k is adequate for most and an unsecured LOC for $50k works very well when you are in a bind.Being from Canada, we are learnig very fast how difficult obtaining credit can be for our new entities in Florida.

Then there's always the fight between real owners who want adequate reserves and improvement funding, and investors who don't care and fight everything.

Admittedly, I’m a bit nervous about having my first deal be a rental as I’m intimidated with being landlord because a) I don’t have any experience, and more importantly b) because I don’t have adequate funds to feel comfortable in the event that I needed to deal with any of the numerous crazy things that can happen with a tenant.

I would look at experience level and if they have adequate insurance coverage to protect holding your 1031 funds as an intermediary.Costs are pretty similar for a basic exchange on rates with minor fluctuations.

So ideally you would understand what exposure you face and establish an asset protection strategy that is adequate for you and allows you to invest forward without the fear of something bad happening.P.S.