As a parent of 3, doing ANYTHING, while having to only deal with a full-time job sounds like a piece of cake! 

We all do.I am selling all my rentals in MS for example that I have owned that I bought for Gozone in 06 so owned them a little longer than 7 years .. but I can tell U it cost 5 to 15k per House to sell them before sales costs. ( commish etc.) so if they don't appreciate then you can just look at your 7 or 10 years of cash flow and deduct it and your IRR goes to next to nothing or negative if you do not have some price appreciation over time.. so I really don't subscribe to the appreciation is icing on the cake it is the cake you need it when U exit.

Go to the concrete section of Home depot and get what looks like a cake decorating bag .  

I like to focus on cash flow and look at appreciation as the icing on the cake.  

I always underwrite my deals at 40% and then if the actuals are better, that's icing on the cake.

If they happen to approve the higher density than you wanted then it's just icing on the cake.

For houses caked $130-$175K it's been real tough, so i'm selling and turning back to multifamily over 5 units, where the bank will INSIST on cash flow.

Trying to have your cake and eat it to, and believing those that will tell you whatever you want to hear in order to make the sale, and you are likely to end up with neither.

All of my properties are within 15 minutes of my house so self-management is a piece of cake, but starting next year I also plan on taking some time to stay at my STR out of state in the winter and someone will need to be on the ground locally.

You cake a personal loan to cover the up fron costs and pay that back with the HML draws.