We made a couple of detours, bought a couple of flips instead of another multi...but similar enough and I count it as a success.I lost focus in 2014 and went off doing 1000 different things..started a construction company and completely lost focus.

Can I "pay myself" to manage my rentals 20.5 k on a sched C and write off the fee.

You'll need to plan to pay it off within ~10 years, too.

Typically, in A-Class neighborhoods you end with a prospective tenants that are a little better off financially than most.I also own an LTR in Orange County (Costa Mesa) and I have had good tenants thus far. 

Most of these off-market opportunities in Durham, Raleigh are in the tricky areas that'll make you beholden to the spreadsheet and not realize you're in the hood.

I can’t speak much about other markets, but as someone who started off in Columbus, and grew up in Cleveland.

I started off with a duplex in 2020 and now have a solid portfolio of rentals with my partner.

We have been struggled on and off with landlord and umbrella insurance for our 12 rental properties for many years.

The earlier you start in your RE journey, the better off you will be in the future.

BRRRR can work but you need to buy off market in order to see this strategy be effective.