I was just reading Mark's book "The Tax & Legal Playbook" this morning and it specifically had a "critical warning" (page 31&32 in Chapter 3).

You're right to think critically about this.

Could be.I think that for most individual American investors leverage is a critical tool. 

This is critical for protecting yourself, your property, and your neighborhood.Here’s why:Safety Concerns:Skipping checks could allow someone with a serious criminal history—like a sex offender or violent felon—into your property.

1.Finding Value: Identifying properties with strong upside potential is critical in markets like Antioch.2.Rehab Management: Staying under budget and on schedule ensures better cash flow and quicker refinancing.3.Leverage Matters: The HELOC strategy allows me to scale quickly and acquire more properties without tying up personal capital.

The later is critical to protect your investment.

To me, that is extremely critical.

Proper time tracking and logs are critical for demonstrating compliance with this rule.I've only seen one person with a W-2 qualify for reps, and that was from a tax court case where people had to come in in person and attest to his hard work.

Keeping contemporaneous records is critical.

You may pull it off.Still, there's something to be said for the critical mass, many baskets, safe-if-boring neighborhoods.