EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

I also have a local bookkeeper, QBO, Bill.com & generate owner statements in OwnerRez.We currently have 23 properties under management and am utilizing trust accounting to the best of my abilities (although we are not required to in our state) but everything is really inefficient when it comes time to do monthly reconciliation and distributions.

We—not the Oregon relatives—manage the management company and have had good luck with the company and the tenants (few headaches and minimal time suck).We’re considering buying out the other owners for several reasons.

I am having a hard time believing this is the case.     

The alternative is that we all pass on deals all the time that could have been.  

You got plenty of time to get started.

I realize the owner can be removed from the lawsuit but that takes time.

This book offers a non-traditional approach to a mindset shift that is conducive to producing massive results.The Richest Man in Babylon also isn't real estate specific but reading this book multiple times on your climb up the financial ladder yields different perspectives.

I’ve heard on podcasts that developing a depository relationship with small local banks could result in more favorable interest rates and more flexible loan products after some time with the bank. 

However, under the "Disparate Impact" legal theory, fair housing issues arise when denying persons with a criminal record involving non-serious offenses and offenses that are remote in time.