I put alot of importance in reading, so I made them read classics at 1st, then mindset (think and grow rich etc) then financial acumen (rich dad etc) thankfully they all have w2 jobs so 401k match, roth etc. 2 are homeowners (don't want to be REI investors) but the last 1 is saving for REI investing.

Would tearing out the carpet myself save on the cost of this?

That makes sense...I was trying to think of a more creative way for people to get a start in the industry rather than the random requests for clients they throw out online. 

You can look up the foreclosure file online likely on the Clerk's website, Court Case Records search.  

House looks updated from online pictures so maintenance is hopefully minimal. 

But I’ve only had a handful of profitable months, most of the time I’ve been paying either the mortgage myself or unexpected cleaning & maintenance bills, and my savings has run to zero, so it’s a big loss so far.

So, I brought in a top-notch property management team to save the day.

In the meantime, continue to educate yourself and save more money.  

Yes, it's an online discussion over zoom.

If your self employment income is not high, it's likely that your deduction saves you more tax than the self employment tax you would pay.