I am glad you highlighted the management piece as this is a crucial part of buying in another market.Excited that you are stabilized and are generating cash flow on that deal. 

Ive been using the same for many years now and its my foundation for operations, follow-up, workflow management and communications. 

It’s when I realized that I need to get the lion’s share of my efforts, not pass them on to managers upon managers above me.

Not a rookie - While I have never purchased a home without an agent, I have purchased two homes in the last fifteen years in Denver and, at some point, managed both with some form of rental income, plus helping my mom manage the independent basement apartment in her home.

If you live in CA, NY, Boston etc - the financial difference is big enough.Investing in your home town is always best, you have the home-field advantage and you can buy, rehab and manage a lot more efficiently.

Even though I wasn't a good asset manager, I made money on my properties. 

Louis, MO real estate, ABODEbucks is a full-service STR-specific management company charging a flat $250/mo + $20/night booked.

It’s smart that you’re looking into multifamily options, it can really help offset your living expenses while building long-term wealth.When analyzing deals, some key things to focus on are rental comps, vacancy rates, and property management costs.

The utility company doesn't manage your property...they provide paid services until they're not paid anymore. 

Capacity and Tolerance. 1) Capacity: how many people can you comfortably fit in the property, is there room to add more, or add more value to the tenants to increase rent.2) Tolerance: How many people are you comfortable living with, if there are vacancies are you able to handle that.House hacking is an amazing path to homeownership, and a nice low barrier to entry into self managing your properties.