I retired from the Army about two years ago, and during the last 3 years serving I started investing in real estate for extra income on the side.

A good lease protects your interests, and being a good "B2B" landlord will serve them.

I will have a chance to exercise my creative deal-making muscles early that will hopefully serve me well in the future.  

After that, think about hiring a bookkeeping firm that specializes in serving REIs.Regarding hiring a CPA/tax pro for tax advisory and/or tax filing, I'd wait until you purchase your next primary and convert your current primary into a rental.

Hello , l am just starting to rent a property out to section 8 tenant , what are the things to do to minimize/prevent section 8/regular tenants from messing up the rented property .

The company that serves and blessed me over and over again is what you would call a Tax Advisor, not simply a CPA or tax preparer. 

Quote from @Nicholas L.: @Kelly Flippincan you start with a house hack or live in flip? 

@Nicholas L.   

@Tina L KingYou will make a higher return by paying off that credit card fast

ThanmaI would recommend focusing on Anderson, SC, as it has experienced significant growth in recent years and serves as a more affordable alternative to Greenville, SC.