Having this said, I understand there are no guarantees in life but:Is there any tips and tricks to make sure your investment is fruitful? 

Any tips, tricks, or anything I might need to know before I dive in head first would be greatly appreciated.

The trick to modeling retail is centered around evaluating the current leases.

The trick is... if you hire a PM MAKE CERTAIN they're good - honest, knowledgeable, responsive, driven....And make certain you 100% know how their fees work - some PMs will nickel and dime you beyond the set % they charge while others are less greedy. 

Pay me 5k and I’ll teach you all the tricks to low and no money down.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks as to how to optimize their function to reduce the bill, or even perhaps another suggestion entirely regarding HVAC?

@Lee L. a trick we use in our motorhome (which sits empty a lot of the time - especially in the winter) is to place Bounce dryer sheets in drawers and cabinets.

Making money in real estate isn't as easy as people tell you, so they feel more confident lending to someone if they've seen them pull off the magic trick before. 

The other trick is quality tenants.

The trick of leaving coal or white vinegar sitting out did not work for us.