The idea of debt-free is that if a person is going to retire and has to completely depend on the income, they don't want a severe recession surprising them and causing them to default on the debt and losing the properties.In a normal world, I would do that as well.

Then I have still have to pay the person who was acting as a host even though no one came. 

You develop relationships with a handle of people that are creating notes and you help them recapitalize, it is like a conveyor belt of deals coming to you.  

He's great".I recently went to a conference (that fortunately was free) where a really famous name in the flip space talked for an hour about how important relationships and authenticity are in the real estate business.

It’s one of the few places where you can still buy affordable properties, get strong cash flow, and see appreciation in the right areas.I personally built a 12-door portfolio there, and while it wasn’t easy, the market fundamentals are strong—affordable entry prices, high rental demand, and a city that’s been seeing steady growth.

.: I'd be tempted into doing an STR (maybe with a higher down payment to ensure cashflow, just run ROI numbers) or an apartment complex - I personally wouldn't mess w/ small stuff.

@Nina Erlandson Personally, I have not heard of Obie Insurance.

@Kayla ElliottHi Kayla - Personally, I would go with a property management company especially if you want to get out of the weeds of managing your properties, which is a large portfolio! 

@Sarah Hadassah Negrón so you get a money judgment.Now you have to turn that into a garnishment action with the courts.To do that, you typcially need to have the tenant personally served - which means finding them or hiring a skip-tracer to do so.Then, what are you going to garnish?

One person works for a well known home builder.