The husband worked for my husband’s company and my husband’s boss recommended him (without knowing anymore than we did) and 3 months later the boss fired him after realizing he’s not a good employee and we’re evicting him after realizing he’s not a good tenant.

One thing is that in my area the minimum wage is $11.50  an hour (12$ for 26 employees or more).

@Jacob MallisonI’m a Realtor in NJ for 9 years- Being that we’re 1099 employees you can contribute into a SEP IRA which is 20% of your income which is the deducted from your yearly taxable income.

Some markets will do well, with new corporations bringing in jobs and prosperity, other areas will be losing jobs and part of their rental market with it...Texas for instance, a ton of people from California have moved to Texas for Work and just a better overall standard of living, People are moving their Company's from California to Texas and taking their Employees with them,  this creates a great market in Texas but Leaves a Void in Certain areas of California, Like the Rural area I live in,  Many people from this area, have packed up and left, now we have empty houses and no one to fill them, at least for the meantime...     

A critical element of RE investing is access to good financing; rapid lender approvals and good terms provide an investor significant advantage in winning deals and generating strong ROI.For first-time investors or those with just a small portfolio, attractive mortgage financing is typically a result of a W2 job and good credit.Well, I’m no longer a W2 employee.

@Dave Foster Well, be sure to send his name along so I can get the referral fee! 

I want to piggyback on what @Dave Foster said regarding the lease and the option.  

@Mark Ryan PetersonIf you are self-employed and have no full time employees, then taking advantage of a Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA would give you the ability to make significant contributions and reduce your taxes.If you are employed by someone else, or have employees, then your options would be limited in terms of making new contributions.Best to discuss with your CPA.Assuming you can sock away a good amount into a retirement plan, and/or have some previous 401(k)/IRA savings to start with, investing that tax-sheltered money into real estate or related such as mortgage notes could be a good option for diversification of the plan. 

This is complicated planning need a professional help. 4) Are you W-2 employee or you are an independent contractor.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/amazon-raises-mini...This is bound to help our local economy and spending power of amazon workers.