But I think savvy investors will be able to navigate those laws to take advantage of artificially suppressed competition to do well. 

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

I did view their financials in January of this year they looked good to me.

So if you are looking to hold long term, you must take that into consideration.

If he is these thing you'd think he would take the time to speak to us directly and not hide.

We weren't willing to take that risk.My wife operated our first home and after a few months we found a really solid knowledgeable manager who took over operations while still working closely with my wife. 

For someone that's not as conservative, or a different view on the cycle, they might have a different opinion than me on all of this.2) Sponsor quality check: (takes about 45 minutes per deal)I believe that a great sponsor can take an average looking deal and make it great, and that in mediocre sponsor can take a fantastic looking deal and make it bad (especially if there is a severe recession).

I know you mentioned taking time to relax, do you plan to further scale or do something different outside real estate?

It doesn't take long to learn how to spot a good deal.6.

It’s exciting to hear you’re looking to scale up into larger multifamily investments—financial independence is a fantastic goal, and it sounds like you’re taking the right steps to get there.It’s great that you’re already focused on assembling a team and diving into market analysis.