While no one is suggestingthat a buyer will be comfortable buying a home they have only seen during a Zoom visit, theycan minimize the number of homes they physically visit by pre-screening these homes aheadof time through virtual tours.There are a few vital pieces of the transaction that require in-person visits, however.

Unfortunately, that solution takes a highly competent hardwood flooring guy to do well, and there aren't that many of them left in a trade that more and more relies on minimally-skilled subs these days.So the usual solution these days is to chop out the offending section, put in a simple patch of 3/4 inch plywood, and lay carpet/laminate/vinyl flooring over the whole hardwood floor.

There are even DTI overlays right now, so working with a lender with minimal overlays will give you the best chance at making the numbers work. 

I seen some of the benefits of putting less down in a shaky market to minimize any risk of depreciation.

I think your cousin's strategy is very wise to minimize risk and stay invested.

Examples of master lease agreement tenants include: storage rentals, short term vacation rentals, and stand alone retail stores( Walgreens,CVS,Dollar General,etc).You should be able to achieve a 10% net return before leverage with short term vacation rentals.Find a manager that is building new properties to minimize exterior maintenance for next 20 years.

That's a question that others have alluded to - how to minimize your perceived profit for tax purposes and still generate growth.If you're talking about income from a sale of that property then the way to defer the tax on profit and depreciation recapture is through a 1031 exchange as @Randall Alan said.  

Get started in real estate with minimal risk2.

The bigger issue, as mentioned earlier in this thread, is the future necessity of college education given its huge expense for frequently minimal benefit.

I may also do some small bathroom updates, such as a new vanities (these are very small bathrooms with tiny vanities, so price will be minimal).