I have no savings, and our debt to income isn't great right now, but we are making progress.

We are also getting a forgiving loan of 30k for the duration of 10 years from the county for 1 unit if we rent out the 1-bed basement unit to a household with income less than 100k and at the rate defined by the city )(~1183+ utilities) for a 1 bed unit.

For me it's worth it, because REI is just one avenue of my family's income.

If the software is not simplifying your life or making you more accurate, you shouldn't use it.Software does have extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

They want to buy the home from me but are running into issues with debt to income ratio, so not eligible for FHA. 

It can mean the difference between having an income or going broke.

I do not want spend my W2 income to cover house mortgages, to not have pressure if things like layoffs will happen, so my plan is to buy house in a good neighborhood that may have appreciation and some minimal cash flow after all expenses (management, maintenance and vacation).

I have explored a variety of online and physical side hustles, but now it's time to transition to brick-and-mortar as I build towards my dream of creating my own private equity firm.I am officially closing soon on the acquisition of an absentee gas station and laundromat business.

Currently, I find myself in the 37% tax bracket due to W2 income and I'm eager to explore avenues to shelter taxes through real estate investments.

Will this area see a huge increase in value and rental income?