If your leasing application process is thorough and well thought out, and if your lease agreement has been well drafted by your local attorney and if it includes clauses that permit you/your property manager enough latitude to maneuver and anticipate undesirable tenant behaviors, both actions and inactions, and you have operational processes which align with enforcement of your lease, then you've done all you can do to reduce this inherent risk of an undesirable tenant.  

Even if these relationships don't go anywhere, you'll get a lot from just having a couple of calls.Next I would try to find some local investment groups/communities and try to chat with as many investors as you can to get an idea how other's started out in your market.

I always asked first, and never had a landlord refuse.It drove me nuts that I had no idea how many copies of the keys to my current front door were floating around in the world.

That sounds like a good idea.

My mortgage rate is very high  and I would like to pay some of it off, so that my monthly payments would go down a bit, I dont know if it is financial smart to do it or not? any advice on paying mortgage off or faster 

You've got a great start by being here and an idea of what you want to do.

I'm feeling most drawn to a buy and hold rental investing strategy and like the idea of the BRRRR strategy in tandem with VA loans, basically refinancing VA loan backed mortgages to conventional loans once there is 20% equity in the home.

Hey there @James Colgan - Love the idea of house hacking a duplex!

No, it's not a good idea, but it's possible to do correctly if you don't rush into it.

Idea is I may just sell the property the moment the project and renovation is finished.For context, the ADUs will be 2 2bed 2 bath units, 800 sq ft each, 1,600 sq ft total.