Message the owners and ask if they would be willing to talk to you and help you get hooked up with an independent cleaner/maintenance person.  

The appraiser is independent to  a lender, and they work for a big company that is higher by a lender to do the appraisal.

However, if you do not share common areas, as in having two independent levels in the same house building, with their own bathrooms and kitchens - then you have not one but TWO dwelling units.

I would recommend you find another independent brokerage in the GTA and ask them for the pros and cons. 

For that reason, have you considered Raytown, Independence (either Raytown or Fort Osage schools), Grandview, Belton, and further out? 

We focus on the suburbs outside of the 435 loop such as Independence, Raytown, South Kansas City and Grandview.

Is there an independent data clearinghouse out there somewhere?

The bookstore has some great books and the podcast is full of valuable information.Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastSee here for the Guides: BP GuidesSee here for the FREE video series: The Financial Independence BlueprintSee here for the blog: The BiggerPockets BlogSearch MeetUp.com for local meetups.Good luck to you and Happy Investing!

If you otherwise have a very strong income and don't need the money then I suppose properties with no cash flow can work in high appreciation areas, but that's a risky game if you aren't independently wealthy enough to eat that year over year. 

My long term goal is to own rental properties in order to hit my financial independence goal, so I feel BRRRR might be the best route, but I also see where the argument could be made for using flips until I am ready to understand how to evaluate a BRRRR deal.If anyone has any ideas of what I should focus on first please feel free to reach out to me!