Having a track record for apartments is more important when raising funds for a future investment in apartment I agree with John.You need to establish a track record first.MF investing is a different animal than SF investing.Another way to "short cut" the track record is to "borrow" the track record by partnering with an experienced apartment operator. 

McD did the market research and BK just short cut the process and follow.Still another is to be involved in your city's politics (if you can and if you want to of course).

I hope to teach my daughter how to do all this as well and if she wants to take this path as well when she is older she will have a good head start.I want to do good /honest work and not take shortcuts just to save money and in turn sacrificing quality.

One thing I have learned are there are no short cuts in this business.

Not looking for a shortcut, was just looking for context as a starting point and to apply the content. 

Just remember, there are no secrets and shortcuts in real estate investing, just slow and steady progress.

@Sadie Bynum I scrolled through most of these responses and couldn’t see a similar response, but I apologize if someone already mentioned this.I work in a valuation firm and for the most part, an appraiser’s measurements are going to be more accurate than the county’s records or the MLS (which is usually taken from county records or potentially haphazardly measured by an agent).

DEMAND is the foundation of your pro forma, so don't shortcut the process. 

Don't leave something this important to chance and short cuts cost you big money.Amongst vendors you will find that some have you pay $80,000 for a house, then they give you a laundry list of repairs you pay for, then they charge a fee to find a tenant, then you pay them a management fee.

One piece of advice I will give you, there are no shortcuts.