Even if everything tanks, you would still be saving money by not flushing it down the toilet on rent.

Account Closed yes gas stations have underground tanks that if left abandoned for long enough can leak and contaminate the ground which gets expensive fast.

Please note that there is plenty of opportunity out there and if you try to do it all, you may very well end up scattered & eventually burned out.There's an awesome book/philosophy out there called Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less (versus the undisciplined pursuit of more) by Greg McKeown.I personally only invest in Self Storage. 

The CA residential market could easily tank 15-20% (or not) this year so i'd be very conservative and only select safe projects with high profit margins On another note, if the tech stocks bubble bursts this year the CA real estate market and particularly the bay area could take a serious toll 

Once expenses are cut down and the building is as efficient as is feasible (LED lights, efficient furnaces, etc), then you can look at making improvements that are pleasing to the eye.Also, instead of renting out the lot to a trucking company, maybe your tenants would be interested in having storage units there that they can rent out?

My future goals are to own 250 units in multifamily/apartments and to own 200 storage units.

This would give more counter top space and cabinet storage and improve function.

They sold very quickly.Did the pole barns act as garage space for parking their cars, or simply storage/workshop space for tenants? 

Ended up moving in as primary residence for five years, market tanked and we sold paying $3000 toward closing costs to get out from underneath it.

In 2018 we replaced a leaky oil tank and started saving toward some carpentry and electrical upgrades.