You might make the most popular push a single family rentals and they are just too risky. 

You will pay a slightly higher interest rate when purchasing as an LLC “commercial loan”, but it’s worth it especially if you plan to scale up and grow a portfolio.

Most people will define a good market as one with a strong job market(i.e big name employers that employ white collar jobs, as these create the most secondary employment), a growing population 10% or greater, low crime, economic engines, etc.  

As you keep doing this your available cash grows exponentially.

My daughter will eventually grow up and reflect back.

But you're right, once you view it rationally like that, it can remove the emotion and put you in a position to learn and grow from it (which is exactly what happened to me here). 

If held the full 10 years 1 day+ they would avoid the tax completely (potentially...assuming the investments grow as they should) based on the FMV and the gains would tax free as well.  

@Felicia Richardson I basically just found neighborhoods with duplexes that I felt matched my criteria (safe, in reasonable shape, strong rents in areas that were either growing or would remain stable), used Zillow/Google Maps to help get the addresses for all duplexes those neighborhoods, and then typed the addresses into the county assessors website (not sure if your county will have a site that allows you to search properties by address, but ours does).

I had been doing everything on my own for the past 10 years, and felt I needed to expand into a physical location to get support staff and grow my business.

If you can find houses with weed growing through the walls like I buy, there is more opportunity cuz most people get scared off ;)