Did I try having tenants handle these small repairs?

They are a small, local bank that loves real estate!

Hey everyone, Brennan here, and I'm relatively new to real estate investing. I've been studying it and reading books non-stop for about the past 6-8 months and I can't wait to get started. I'm currently a senior in co...

I'm spending a few months along the west coast of Florida this winter, north of Tampa, and plan to look at single family houses, as well as small multi-family properties.  

But now looking for a either a little bigger multi-family, or perhaps a small portfolio of a seller (no SFH’s though).

It can be a great option, or it could be a terrible option - running your numbers as Michele mentions above will help you choose the right path.Many of us have worked with HML's, and as selfish as it is - I don't give out my best guys because they are relatively small and they might not have enough in their coffers for my next deal if they get too busy with other investors.Also many lenders work only with specific types of deals in specific geographic regions. 

So what I was truly asking is if it is possible to start that small or should I keep working on saving every dollar for another 6 months and amass more savings before I even think about getting a rental property?

Since this will be a part-time job for me aside from my work full time job, I plan to start small, with just a single triplex or quadplex.

@Cherrell Thomas cash flow is the profit that's left after debt service, property taxes, property management, common utilities (if any), reserves for repairs (small things like leaky faucets, AC servicing, etc), and capital expenditures or capEx (larger things like a new roof,new HVAC, major plumbing overhaul...these are treated differently on taxes, written off over a specified longer period) and other expenses.The first item I mentioned, debt service, is where the answer to your question is.

If you think it is something you might want to learn and switch over to then you might could partner in the office with someone experienced and they get most of the fee and you get a small amount.It would be a disservice to a buyer client to try to do it on your own without experience.