There are jobs that I wouldn't mind grabbing somebody standing around the Home Depot parking lot for.

@Russell Brazil  I agree with Russ totally depends on what kind of real estate.. keep in mind that when you ask this on BP 90% of those on this site will gravitate to the only real estate is rental either sfr or small plexs or MF.. there are many many other types of real estate .take for instance in my mind one of the safest and most passive is investing in land in the path of progress.. pay cash and hold it.. nothing to it.. over time if you buy right or you buy a timber tract with middle age marketable timber species like Doug Fir or white pine  west  East  … these are very solid long term safe investments that you just make and sit and wait.some of the biggest money made in real estate though is land in the path of progress.. this keeps you immune from the ups and downs and risks of tenants.. 

Keep in mind many mom and pop landlords are very hands on.. and have to collect rent in person.. and as stated above it all depends on your location and tenant base.. like west coast tenants by and large you could automate them.. lower end C D tenants no way.

How do I change her mind???

Also, I know it all depends on the deal, but a few of my options are: MFH (maybe 4 plex) in low/low middle class central Phoenix SFH in a nicer area in phoenixDuplex/condo in Lake Havasu to attempt for vacation rentalsSo those of you who wouldn't mind sharing your advice I would GREATLY appreciate any!

Erase everything you know about the situation from your mind...

. $1525 rental was worth $120 to $130k three years back but certainly not new construction which doesnt mean much since you are not living there. also the pool of buyer willing to pay $1525 is low compared to the average $1100 to $1200 pool. please keep that in mind.

I’ve seen an LOX written to say some versions of the following; 1) This new property has a garage and I need a garage. 2) The new property has more/less sq. ft. and we need more/less space due to x (having a child, downsizing, etc.) 3) The new property is in a different, more desireable school zone (if applicable). 4) The new property is closer to where I work (or go to school, etc.)Although it isn’t always an ideal living situation for some people, I would highly encourage anyone in your situation that is investment-minded to use each of your VA loans back to back for each of you to buy a 4-unit building as the numbers tend to work best on those here in Clarksville and it would make sense, as long as the numbers work, of course, to get as many units as possible with zero out of pocket while you can.

As mentioned in another post, our goal is to go from 8 to 20 properties this year. (20 by 20) it’s super aggressive and maybe far reaching, but we want to push as far forward as we can, and in my mind if you don’t push yourself outside your comfort zone you won’t reach your potential.But to answer your question, to get past the finance road block, we are continuing to educate ourselves and continuing to network until we find the right partners.

@Jay Ragland do you mind sharing the break dow as in purchase price and rehab cost...it would be nice to see the before and after image...I can imagine you have put on lot of work in it...looks fantastic.