I am now in the process of putting a tenant in place and putting a mortgage on it as early as possible to be ready for the next one.I really like this strategy due to cutting out the high interest rates of a HML and private financing.Make sure to shop around for setup fees.

So far I do find rough edges in TenantCloud system though as their screening tools are not good and due to time lag to post application fees, sometimes a prospect can't move to next step until their fee is marked in system as cleared.

You definitely will cut back, but making more money is another reverse stream that can help you along on your goals.

I have put together a monthly meet up on the north edge of ATL where many local investors, experienced and newbies, and anyone in the RE field meet up on the last Tuesday of each month and share, experience, time and goals to help each other grow as a whole.

Sellers may curse you out, your first mailer may be a dud, finding real buyers may be difficult, people may call you crazy and all of the above but if you educate yourself, focus and cut out the noise you can do this business. 

Giving them jobs along the way, cutting grass, painting, etc. 

My advice would be to cut out the middle man "project manager" and talk to other investors to get a gc recommended to you.

Are you paying for grass cutting?

HOA costs will cut significantly into your cashflow and associations can impose all sorts of rules and fees to restrict the number of rentals.  

If this is a concern you could find an inconspicuous place and cut a small piece from the base and find out what kind of wood it is.