But she takes excellent care of them (even put in a small concrete pool for them to play in during the summer:-).

If this is your first investment and your first property, the quickest way to fail is to create an uneven playing field.

I also have one neighborhood that I am hoping to purchase an SFH as an appreciation play.

The article below sheds light on how DSCRs come into play with the BRRRR method.

I golf, play a lot of softball, run most days, walk my dogs, do some real estate projects.... stuff like that. 

Use surveys to gather feedback on their experience.When tenants feel valued and respected, they’re more likely to take care of the property and renew their leases, saving owners time and money.Fairness with VendorsVendors play a crucial role in maintaining properties, and treating them fairly ensures they remain reliable partners.

This plays into your relationship with the contractor - and I can tell you first hand that most investors don't want to sacrifice any of them.

I want to play devils advocate, to have a convincing argument.

The problem comes into play when those milestones are not good indicators of one’s progress towards a goal.

Real estate investing is a team sport and at different points in the game different players will play more important roles.