It's implied that you're going to get a much higher quality work product going the latter route (generally speaking).  

Is the wage increase substantial enough to offset the negative cash-flow by letting you make up the difference without impacting your quality of life?

They, more than anyone, will know how the rentability is there-- like, how easy is it to get tenants and what quality of tenant are you likely to get?

I have no outstanding debt except for a 300$/month car payment.

I thought maybe going the consolidated, portfolio loan route, but my guess is that the terms would be less favorable and I would lose some flexibility with being able to “kill” individual loans if desired, and also I believe I read somewhere that if I ever sold a property (and kept the others), that the sale proceeds must be paid back towards the outstanding portfolio loan balance.  

While I will be still be looking for quality investments in the future, I am sure I will end up loaning/giving money to my parents/siblings/people around me because I believe that is the right thing to do in a time like this. 

I think those purchases could now become larger and the pricing will likely be lower as sellers seek sources of liquidity and quality counterparties.As to where rates go from here, it is my view that low rates are here for quite some time (maybe years)...though they may not find their way to the mortgage market for several months.Why?

I think those purchases could now become larger and the pricing will likely be lower as sellers seek sources of liquidity and quality counterparties.As to where rates go from here, it is my view that low rates are here for quite some time (maybe years)...though they may not find their way to the mortgage market for several months.Why?

Good question @Naomi Hanson.1031 sets a tight window to find a quality property, and Opportunity Zones lock your cash up for 10 yrs... many times those who invest in large MF that conducts a cost segregation study to greatly reduce or in some cases eliminate their tax exposure without those constraints.

My real estate agent in Phoenix is outstanding.