The area I am having trouble with are the capital gains taxes we will owe if we are able to sell at our desired price.

Even though I have the skills and desire to do maintenance, that is not really the direction I want to go.

There are services that have low minimums of as few as 6 records for skipping at a time and even have a referral program so you can earn credits for referring others.

Reach out to as many people as you can and try to find someone in your desired market.

So if you can imagine that a 30 year fixed rate loan at 2.99% might not look as desirable to a lender on a 30 year adjustable rate loan at 2.5%....because of exactly the reason you described - it will adjust after a few years.So lenders sell these products with the idea that you can just refinance out of the product if it adjusts.  

If you're looking at deals that are more competitive in desirable areas, then you may need to go higher on the EMD with some or all of it being immediately nonrefundable and/or shorter on the due diligence period.

Instead we work hard at our 9-5 jobs to earn an income and be disciplined to set aside dollars each month to invest in our next investment.

Why not give the property to the one person best able to handle it, and then other assets to other folks to equalize as desired, or alternatively simply sell the property at death where there will be no gain and split the proceeds.

( desirable rental area, good schools with nearby shops, restaurants)?

My number for lean FIRE is $36k a year, so I should focus on higher-appreciating properties for the next few years to help me earn enough capital that I can then trade into properties that will produce $36k a year.