I'm looking to do buy-and-hold investing in the Denver metro area, ideally multi-family, but at this point, I'm just ready to make that first purchase (and make the mistakes that go along with it) to get started.  

I read some article a while back that made it sound like anyone who doesnt raise rent every year is an unprofessional sucker and kept finding articles pretty much reinforcing that attitude.My gut feeling told me it would be a mistake, but I like to get as much advice as I can.

Well I made a mistake of joint venturing with someone back in 2017 on four properties.

Probably made a couple other minor mistakes but I'll leave it at that.

Those areas tend to draw the worst tenants avalible.

If for instance the PM or realtor made an unintentional mistake/was negligent/etc, then you'll want to be able to have a third person on your side who could potentially alert all parties to the situation.

Worst case, it gets outlawed in a town AFTER you’ve bought a place there & now you have to sell at a HUGE loss bc there’s no buyer demand once STR use is banned!

It was my worst nightmare. 

We made a mistake and allowed cats, the urine smell is unbearable.

As a recent college engineering grad who formerly had only been exposed to the typical American life (piling on as much debt as possible in hopes of keeping up with the Joneses), you guys have really got the gears turning in my head and have opened a new way of thinking for me.After recently obtaining a good paying job, I almost made the mistake of buying a new truck and taking on some of the other bad debt that comes with most college grads; instead, I have chosen to put my eggs in the real estate basket.