I'm looking at a 6 family in a rent controlled town that is fully occupied.

I say that because I have no control over the stock market, but I do self manage my single family homes.The absolute safest investment is certificate of deposits or savings accounts that are FDIC insured, but they pay sub 1% return.

I wish it wasn't.What's probably going to happen now is that you'll carry around this experience and the grudge it engenders for the rest of your life, and after you buy a house, the next time a politician stands up and starts talking about tenant rights and rent control and rent moratoriums, you'll nod along, and bad things will happen to landlords, and we'll all scream bloody murder here and in other forums on how unfair, unfair, unfair it is that people hate landlords so much.How much we contributed as a group to bringing the public outrage on ourselves through unethical, grasping business practices like this, well, that won't be as enthusiastically discussed.

Her lease specified that tenant is responsible for pest control inside the apartment. 

after seeing this black swan event of Covid and rent moratoriums that were out of the investors control..

So between now and May I will be learning all I can about the parts of this venture I am less familiar with, choosing properties to analyze and buy, figuring out financing, insurance, taxes, and learning anything else I don't know that I don't know. 

I am an animal lover but the dogs before people thing is out of control.

There is no way to tell, but this escrow thing puts a third party in control of deciding if the work is completed 100%, if it's good enough, etc...

Since there is no custodial requirement for the 401k, you don't need the additional expense and administration of an LLC to obtain checkbook control.

It's challenging not having complete control, and not being able to ensure deadlines are met.