You can take any reserves and ladder them with CDs/Treasuries/some other low-risk fixed income asset to provide liquidity in case things go sideways, all while mitigating most of the interest load on the loan. 

I pulled this off but with an FHA 203k loan which allows you to wrap the cost of renovations into the loan. 

A house hacker with a  W-2 income can often times float some rehab costs on a duplex through cashflow or supplement some with their income.

Whatever you use, make sure it's state-specific.6) Putting a cap on utilities is smart, especially when you're starting out and have no idea what they're going to cost you.

First year no PM cost.

The one month's worth of rent covers some costs (cleaning, readvertising) and the rest is a hedge against vacancy.

So, by trying to get a tenant out and replace them with another tenant you have a 50% chance they will be the same or worse, plus the expense, lost rent due to vacancy, plus any tenant placement costs with your PM.

I have hate for no one.This is simply an observation or something that is important to understand when you are in this business- because when you go to turn certain units you may run into this big extra cost.

Don't we think investing in the US is risky with high interest rates, historically low affordability and cash flows and high prices inflated by 15 years of artificially free money that's gone for good?

DIY managing is usually best, so you learn enough to avoid getting taken advantage of if/when you hire a PMC in the future.Your challenge is learning enough to avoid lawsuits and costly mistakes!