Sounds like you've got a good background and support for starting out as a landlord -- those practical skills come in handy.

Looks to me like you are combining your skills and passions to make the world a better place, and I applaud you for that!  

Rent Perfect does a soft pull which does not impact the applicants credit score.That takes care of the knowns.

Actually @Ann North, an architect is more likely to have the skills and experience to know if a lot is buildable.

If you have the skill set to operate strictly as a business you may be OK otherwise don't do it.

I think it is very important to look beyond the hard data in screening tenants and also look at the soft data - such as, how they act in-person, their tendencies, social media, if their car is clean and things such as that.

Based on your skills and what you did with your current home, I'd use a similar approach where you have a  building with more than one unit and that needs a bit of work. 

Life skills are sometimes best learned doing dirty jobs that suck well.

You might be confident enough in your valuation skills to forgo an appraisal.

:)You can be a great landlord without being soft on them.