During that transition phase once i get rental income what should i begin to account for or change or tell my CPA to make my taxes go smoothly 

When you’re pressed for time or eager to start a project and need things to move faster, consider outsourcing tasks for efficiency.Overall, I think you should go back to the drawing board, build a specific and optimized list, and market to it consistently.

Balancing local and out-of-state options might be the best way to build your portfolio.

When it's time to do taxes, I want to get all the rental tax benefits.

Site is flat, all funding in place... we are going building.   

Even with my income, most of my money goes to taxes.

I am looking to build my network and connect with investors, brokers, agents and affiliates in Houston, DFW, ATX, and San Antonio. 

We also don't know the exact numbers of your prospective rental investment (including taxes, insurance, PM fees, etc.).Once you know all of those things, calculating this shouldn't be a huge task.If I had to ballpark it you'd be cash flowing perhaps $800-$1,000/month on the duplex given the rental amounts you ball parked.

Building relationships with real estate agents and joining social media groups can also help you find opportunities and gain insights.

From my perspective, when I started house hacking, I really enjoyed learning about all of the trades, but as you said-  it becomes harder to do all those things while building.