I started investing in 2019, got my license in 2021 and was initially with a residential broker that was primarily focused on retail transactions (aka sales, purchases, leases, for regular end user folks). 

My monthly fees are as follows (handyman inspection $125, Cleaning $270 a turn (I collect this from guest), TAT&GET (collected from guest) Property Taxes, Insurance (I highly recommend you price this out, with hazard I pay $1,200 a year), internet/cable $100, Electricity $300 a month, AOAO dues $900 (association fees are increasing minimum 5% a year).  

If it costs $500 to fill the oil tank and the tenant leaves it empty, that's $500 less you have to cover unpaid rent, cleaning, and repairs.

I would look for a custodian who does not charge a fee based on your assets.I normally see the costs being A one time set-up fee along with an annual reoccuring fee.The thing you want when opening up an SDIRA is that the return that you will make with alternative investments will be greater than the fee that is charged to you for the SDIRA plus the return you would have likely gotten with a regular IRA.

This seems like a lot of work to save 15% of $35k in taxes (Less than $5k.) especially if you have transfer taxes or title insurance, or you convert your long term 15% rate in to your son’s regular income tax bracket.I hate paying taxes as much as the next guy but this lemon isn’t worth squeezing.

So bottom line they got away with it and are living in a beautiful safe clean country. 

Our cleaning fees for the year were $40k, landscaping $2.5k, handyman $3k... all tasks that can be done by an operator and off set the loss of income from occupying the main house that brought in about $40k for 2024.My wife and I have decided that even though it makes good money, we have been in Texas for a year and we want to do something similar here and we are very much DIY people and don't want a PM company to run it to the ground.

It's middle class, low crime, clean & zoned in one of the top desirable High schools. 

Regular Conventional? 

I know people that are really good at their trade (plumbing, cleaning, electrician, etc) but they don't have financial discipline, they don't know how to market, they suck at customer service, they don't use tools to their advantage, etc.Cody Sanchez (lady in the video) buys different types of businesses and makes them profitable by applying basic business disciplines.