Better to keep rent 5-10% below market, but keep a tenant long-term.If you can handle all this, you MIGHT be ready to be a real estate mogul.Otherwise, you may want to get out of your own way and hire a PMC to manage your property better.Let us know how this goes before you continue dreaming about anything else:)

Had I scaled faster, I wouldn't be where I am today--I'd probably be working a job somewhere and have a lot of investors hating me.

Many first time investors don't realize that by getting into the management they are getting another job.  

Of course it is always a balance between rate and occupancy.I probably will never do it , but often dreamed at one time about buying a small hotel. 

My husband and I are Teachers and Nurses but dream of supplementing our W2 jobs with passive/investment income. 

If that's the case, check out some of the economic data about what cities have strong job and population growth.

You can tell who is actually passionate about their job and passionate about the market usually pretty quickly.

That 2nd requirement is  what makes it close to basically impossible with a W2 job.

Good Morning,So I have always dreamed of getting a duplex as my first house and to house hack to get my foot in the door in real estate investing.

Sure I could float the entire job .