In our experience (only 2 units, but over ten years) the worst of the worst tenants are those that made the choice to damage housing or not pay for housing when times got tough.

Deciding what I want to achieve: I want to learn a great deal more about real estate investing and continue to acquire rental property that will generate passive income, gaining financial independence, which will give me more freedom with my choice of day job in the future.  

If you are interested in being an investor as well as an agent then a Keller Williams office is probably a better choice. 

Given the cost and market I don't think the cost of stripping the brick is a choice right now and painted brick is very common in the area.

Old article, but breaks down the two choices-https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/1...The as far as out-of-state, you can go the turnkey route or the DIY route (I have an article comparing these two too).

I've checked out the pricing of Bitrix24, and the free option (<5 GB storage, to time management tools, no external users) seems to be a good choice for smaller teams.

There's pros and cons to both strategies, but the truth is this is entirely a personal choice.

We are using the title company of our choice, and the earnest money is in escrow with that title company.

I am wrestling with the choice of saving up for my primary residence, which will take time, versus starting to invest now.

This is not a popularity contest.