@Sebastian NadalI've used Zillow Rental Manager to screen my tenants and have found it effective.

Are there other, more cost-effective alternatives to gain similar support and knowledge?

Mixed-use properties that integrate residential units, co-working spaces, and retail areas with sustainable design elements are particularly appealing.

I started with the Simple Start plan, but as I learn more about the software, I realize that to effectively classify income and expenses per unit, I need to use Classes and Locations, which are only available on the higher-tier plans.I’ve seen suggestions to use units as customers as a workaround, but I’m curious if anyone else has tried this approach or has recommendations for managing multiple units in QuickBooks with the Simple Start plan.Looking forward to your feedback!

It could be some sort of skill set for renovations, design for furnished rentals, specific market knowledge, owner occupied loan products for a house hack, etc. 

It's a very simple and effective tool that you can use when evaluating rehabs, whether you're looking to flip or BRRRR. 

If you’re considering leveraging hard money lending (HML) for this flip, it could be a strong alternative to traditional financing—especially since HML is quicker to secure and designed for investors aiming to flip properties fast.With HML, you’re typically looking at covering a significant portion of both purchase price and rehab costs, which keeps more of your cash free for other expenses or emergencies.

So I picked up a few books which includes, "The Book on Investing In Real Estate With No (and Low) Money Down," and "The Book on Rental Property Investing," both by Brandon Turner, which introduced me to the BiggerPockets community.With a decade of experience in property management under my belt, along with my property management certifications and an NC real estate broker’s license (with Broker-In-Charge designation), I’m eager to leverage my background to secure long-term financial stability for my family.

Why would you do anything that effectively pays you less than that?

We design our homes.