I found the deal and negotiated our purchase price with the absentee owner, offered to split profits 50/50 if they financed both the purchase and rehab costs, I offered to do all manual labor (landscaping, minor hauling of existing furniture, shoveling snow, DIY repairs, cleaning house before showings, etc). 

Originally posted by @Chris K.:It

That was a $650/month unit and with my $3000 in repairs, $2000 in lost rent and $500 in DIY legal fees (if you can't do your own evictions it's going to be a lot higher and take longer).

My dad was one of those DIY guys and it was great for learning as a kid growing up and helping on the weekends.

Clearly taking one of these types of deals down is not a simple undertaking and I can see how difficult it would be for a seller of a portfolio of SFRs to sell it kit and caboodle to another investor.

like in your case going to the library and DIY study and learning.Seems to me some people that would spend 3k to get going , get materials and motivation that could be worth it to them.. 3k in the big picture of real estate ( take your 2 mil portfolio) is a drop in the bucket.

Do you find it hard to keep track of receipts, understand accounting platforms to DIY your books, stay consistent with your bookkeeping, find time to do your bookkeeping, or maybe you even have a bookkeeper but you don't understand your reports...

You'd have to check with customer service on compatibility with your particular units but payrange has great bluetooth-enabled apps for laundry payment systems. easy to DIY install with youtube videos. no monthly fees and low upfront hardware acquisition cost.

If I am managing my own rentals, technically titled in a trust in the future once all this gets figured out, do I need to be licensed or a realtor, or can I still go the diy route since they are basically mine?

@Michelle TruongMany OOS investors set themselves up for failure because they don't truly take the time to understand:1) The Class of the NEIGHBORHOOD they are buying in - which is relative to the overall area.2) The Class of the PROPERTY they are buying - which is relative to the overall area.3) The Class of the TENANT POOL the Neighborhood & Property will attract - which is relative to the overall area.4) The Class of the CONTRACTORS that will work on their Property, given the Neighborhood location - which is relative to the overall area.5) The Class of the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (PMC) that will manage their Property, given the Neighborhood location and the Tenants it will attract - which is relative to the overall area.6) That a Class X NEIGHBORHOOD will have mostly Class X PROPERTIES, which will only attract Class X TENANTS, CONTRACTORS AND PMCs and deliver Class X RESULTS.7) That OOS property Class rankings are often different than the Class ranking of the local market they live.8) Class A is relatively easy to manage, can even be DIY remote managed from another state.