@Alexander Churchill, congrats on your progress to date.

After meeting with three prospective managers I made my choice based on local experience, a great conversation and an understanding of my critical nature of how I like things done.Flash forward 3 weeks and I close this week, the manager had been sending every other day updates on progress in getting in to take pictures, review lease details, agree on rents and get the advertising going. 

However I'm as hungry as ever to progress in my real estate career. 

However, if your goal is maximum cashflow you can probably do better on the monthly ROI, and if your goal is maximum re-sell value you would probably do better to buy in an appreciating area (or a path of progress).

My wife's income has increased by 20k allowing us to handle the loan but we still have a unsecured debt slowing our progress.

That being said, a year should be adequate but with fires, there are a lot of factors that could have slowed things down.Good luck and hope things start progressing for you.

Our contractor did nice work, but had some family issues that slowed his progress.

But I have watched several of my friends without a college education be able to progress in the workplace without a college education.

I'm trying to figure out a way to have my friend work for me either as a partner or paying some type of a hourly or rate per job to do things like oversee contractors, meet home inspectors, send me progress videos and possible help me with finding a property management company. 

Please keep me posted on your progress as it sounds like we'd be interested in properties you might decide to flip as opposed to BRRR.Best of luck!