I know it is more complex than that but I'm just trying to understand the scope of that area.

Then I will purchase 1 large apartment complex with approx 20% ROI netting me the $100k/yr passive income.So, why Phoenix AZ?

It's used a great deal here in California for educational purposes.People will deed their farms or other large estates to a University for a specific purpose like agriculture and veterinary medicine programs or to build a sports complex in their honor.

They look at the useless and unreliable (and cheap) contractors and figure that it's a simple model... then they look at a very useful and reliable (and expensive) contractor and start trying to figure out how to get the expensive one to behave (AKA: Price) like the cheap one while remaining useful and reliable.The problem is that the useful, reliable (expensive) contractor is never going to agree to work for the kind of terms an investor wants in a 'partner' ... the dark truth is that a useful, reliable contractor who has been in business long enough could probably flip houses if they wanted to (many do), and the investor isn't adding anything that the contractor couldn't get through a lending bank.Also, the business model of even a mid-sized successful construction business is fairly complicated and involves cost models that look like never-ending rabbit holes of complexity... and most investors (most people period) absolutely cannot believe how much it truly costs to be in business, to say nothing of remaining profitable.

My husband doesn't understand the complexities of real estate and foreclosure so he just assumes he can take as long as he likes to make a decision. 

I've seen some apartment complexes market to students.

There is a BP member who pays $20/unit for apartment complex inspections.  

It really depends on your ENTIRE situation, so making assumptions like "it's easier since it's government backed" will only make the process more complex than its needs to be.

He owns his own apartment complexes and manages others.

There are different tax rates for different forms of income, but income is always taxed provide you had more income than expenses:)@Ned CareyA licensee cannot legally pay a fee to a non-licensee with one minor exception ($50 to a tenant of apts complex that they own that brings another tenant).