I am excited to immerse myself in the world of real estate and take on new challenges as I embark on this journey.Goals:As a new member of the real estate investing community, my primary goal is to educate myself, gain hands-on experience, and ultimately achieve financial independence through smart and strategic investments.

I have an awesome girlfriend of almost 4 years and is a big motivator for me trying to become financially independent so I can provide her and my future family a great life. 

And work independently from what I have seen.

(STR laws, notwithstanding.)And if you can remove that one barrier of Airbnb or VRBO, then you've got an (almost) truly independent small business.

@Staci Hill, if you're very independent, I recommend Fathom Realty.

Quote from @Bruce Lynn: House hack, but it's not escaping the rat race, just trading one race for another.This is a great point but not necessarily a bad thing :)Trading the 9-5 rat race for independence as a rental property owner really appeals to me!

Just remember email and phone data is the best to help you build an independent direct booking presence.

I always assess a properties value independent of the asking price.

I am currently using the FIRE strategy to become financially independent.

I would recommend you stay away from small independent PM's that manage less than 200 doors.