In addition, any recommendations for real estate attorneys that can review my contracts (ideally for free, but you know, a guy can dream)

For many people, having only 2 properties, even when paid off isnt the ideal portfolio.

Ideally, they can be there at the same time.

For lenders, the only important thing is that they can execute and ideally close very fast when they need to. 

I think ideally Single Family Residence is where I should want to go, before moving up to multiunit properties, but I'm new so I could be wrong in this approach.

Ideally you would find a company that has everything under one roof.

Ideally, you want to focus on markets that are driven by industries that are resistant to economic changes such as healthcare, logistics, and hospitality.When evaluating a specific property, be sure to look up rental rates, vacancy rates, and rental trends for comparable properties in the area.

This second option is ideal to generate more money.

With the current market being so unfavorable for sellers I’m at a standstill whether I should just cut my losses or whether I should buckle up, hold and ideally refinance in 2-3 years where then it may cashflow a little more or I can leverage the equity.

Ran into many challenges with un level floors and less than ideal building quality in the addition portion of the house.Biggest challenge was funding the renovation after an already large down payment to finance.