My recommendation to serious real estate investors is buy an opportunity in any segment, do the math (it's all about the ROI; some investors fall for the 'commercial' is more prestigious chest thump to find that losing money isn't very prestigious at all), and plan on proactively running a business. 

I think holding is a great long term plan.

Instead, focus on learning their plans, challenges, and openness to selling.5.

I was planning on searching here today to see if I can find any meetups in our area.

That could be your PM company if you plan to hire one. 

For example, if your driveway only fits two cars, you need to know if tenants plan to bring several vehicles, as this could lead to parking violations and HOA fines.Don’t forget to screen pets, too!

You're off to a great start by educating yourself and planning to attend meetups—that’s where the magic happens!

I also am planning to meet with my PM on Monday to discuss pain points and better expectations, I would love to hear what sort of expectations you set with property managers?

You snowball plan has a very high success rate.

Our portfolio currently cash flows, but cash flow isn’t our top priority right now since we plan to use this portfolio to supplement our retirement in 12 years when I leave the Army.My biggest challenge is committing to an out-of-state market.