We fine-tuned our tenant qualification procedures and improved our due diligence skills as it was one the oldest properties we ever purchased - built in the 1940's.

I believe there are only fees if you join a home inspection organization. 

In business its leveraging technology and your skill set to find unique ways to make your processes efficient, cheaper, faster, and to be able to scale it.

How large or small of an organization do you want to build?

After auditing tenant files for people that were evicted, we discovered she needed to improve her tenant qualification skills.

This will allow the family time to find alternative housing as well as additional time to organize the renovation crews as well as property marketing to ensure maximum rental rates/minimum vacancy/and quickest time to market after capital is spent.

So I would get this bid out by local contractors and then IF your family have decent skills, figure you can knock off 20%.

.- Code becomes a bigger and costlier deal -- all of your properties will be squarely considered commercial and NOT residential, so when you pull permits to do substantial improvements you'll *get* to install a sprinkler system, etc- (speculation here) More susceptible to property tax hikes As for me and my house, we have chosen to buck the conventional wisdom and stick to SFR and small multi's (doubling down on what we know and are skilled at) until we can jump to more sizeable mutlifamily properties.

I also would take a course or two that will give you some computer skills, you don't have to be a programmer, but having the ability to do the easy stuff yourself is a good idea. 

You need a lender that is familiar with the process and a very organized, very patient contractor.