I am self employed and looking to invest in rental property In El Paso, Texas.

Note to self: Avoid applicants who have their own attorneys "on retainer". 

I have self manage two properties in this class at the moment.

Being self employed I'm not actively searching for another deal, but I'm keeping some dry powder just incase. 

So any responses you receive here will never be a true apples-to-apples comparison.I will admit, this advice is a little self-serving since I am a CPA myself.

The more I read the Self-Directed IRA and solo 401K posts, the more questions I seem to have. 

For lawn maintenance and snow removal I have $1,200/year,do you think this is sufficient?

Working towards House hacking a 4 plex and self manage the building to gain experience Later on i will be forming a property management company to manage my buildings once i get to a larger scale that would require it.

I'm an agent, so I self-list. 100% of my buyers have been from the FMLS...

You only need two things... a good, cost effective Contractor... and a good exit strategy.The exit strategy can be self-marketing, developing a relationship with a Realtor... whatever it takes to turn the property.