I don't know your skin thickness but know I do it with love and care for your improvement, there is no insult meant by any of it but fact is we all gotta suck, learn and try again before we get great, right. 

Prioritize properties with strong rental potential and set aside reserves to handle unexpected costs.Finally, familiarize yourself with tenant laws in your target market, especially in Portland, and consult a real estate-savvy CPA for tax efficiency and legal considerations.

Basic staging with an agent usually means they give you insight into how you should:Declutter and depersonalize by removing photos and personal itemsArrange your furniture to improve the room’s flow and make it feel biggerAdd plants, move art, or re-arrange other accessoriesFull-service staging is another option if your house needs more hands-on attention.

.#3:  Short cuts are not efficient. 

I would use the income to slowly improve the house and once you get it to a good spot, HELOC out some money for a down payment on another place rinse and repeat. 

This fosters a top-down management approach that ensures accountability and efficiency throughout the property.As I've earned from my own experiences, the difference between a good operator and a poor one lies in effective asset management.

The cash flow improves quickly, but the cash flow is so negative on retail purchases that it will take years to reach cash neutral.  

The problem is these homes are 60-120 years old and because of the low value neighborhoods, nobody has ever made any capital improvements beyond duct tape.

Repairing/improving to sell.

A class property is great but doesn't make sense if you're looking to scale efficiently.