You can see how a lot of people in this area started small and are going bigger.

Sometimes I wonder if people just feel better about themselves to spend all those nights and weekends on real estate when, realistically speaking, they would have earned just as good a return (or pretty close to it) by investing in a stock market index fund and had way more free time in life  I realize my premise here is antithetical to the whole notion of BiggerPockets so of course bigger pockets hates me writing this, as do all real estate agents and property managers, but it’s the truth and everyone needs to think about it

However, the Cleveland area is a net population loss area.

It's not bad to be ambitious but there will always be a bigger fish then you.

For some others in the Bigger Pockets community, is there anything else to consider, what do you think, 'do it'? 

@Monish Anand Bigger Pockets has an 'agent finder' tool.

If you are single, look for uneven multis where you can live in a small unit and rent out the bigger one (e.g. - 1/1 and a 3/2 instead of 2/1 and 2/1)2.

Your perspectives have been incredibly helpful as I navigated how to handle the situation.Here’s how I just responded to the tenant:I expressed sympathy for their situation and the loss of their pets.

Sometimes making a smaller profit and providing value is far better than holding out for a bigger payday on a bad deal, I like that.

Once you feel you've built a strong team with your first property and have solid systems in place, I would then start buying more aggressively and taking on bigger projects.I suggest reading this BP article on the core 4.https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-team