This is a great conversation and something I frequently ponder.

While overseas, we had tax-free income from frequent deployments, we used the DoD 10% savings to boost our down payments, we used extra duty pays, family sep pay, and COLA to scrape together funds with which to invest. 

The tenants would pay for their own electricity and water since everything was separately metered (I asked repeatedly about the water since I knew it wasn't normal in NYC for tenants to pay water... more on that later).

Dusting has to be done more frequently too.My 2 cents.

on all the podcast guests that haven't been repeats...if it's been over a year.

Rather than repeat the obvious...

Take a walk.Get a drink of water.Do something else entirely.If you feel up to it, come back to the task and repeat.52 minutes.Intense, focused concentration is the key.Do not allow yourself to do anything else.17 minutes of rest.

One d-bag I dealt with REFUSED to call me back after repeated voice mails, so I called buyers broker and then got bitchy email citing a bunch of industry acronyms (like he tried to fit as may as he could in there) and then finished with telling me to take it up w local building inspector.

Here @ BP, there's lots of vicarious experiences and a person with your skills will be able to glean the nuggets herein.Stick with it because persistence is frequently rewarded well.

You could rinse and repeat with a duplex, triplex or fourplex...move in and do it again, and see if you lifestyle and day job fits even more additional units in a couple of more years (I am more a fan of work life balance than competing for the most doors, but to each his/her own).