Costs more than conventional, but faster close, more flexibility and usually higher leverage.

Defining your target audience and then determining where they spent the most time, will help you find them faster.

All I'm interested in doing is locking in a steady profit for 30 years, instead of owning an older rental house in a crappy neighborhood that most likely won't appreciate faster than inflation, and maintaining it for 30 years through various tenants, etc.

Let me illustrate - you can borrow 30 year money for under 3.5% right now or you can invest that equity and earn a multiple of that.Debt is a tool like a chain saw - yes, it can be dangerous, but if you know what you are doing and don't become careless it is much faster getting the job done.

i don't think i necessarily need the sq footage but i thought it would be that something "extra" above the next house to get this one sold faster.  

banking rules changing faster than the weather these days! 

Use that 'I want to do it now' energy to find ways to pay down your debt faster. 

However real estate is illiquid and takes a bit of skill to do.REITs: far more liquid, meaning you can get in and out faster.

I've yet to do one so my opinion doesnt have much weight.

We will be pre-screening future potential tenants via a Google Form, an idea we found here on the forums and have already put into action.The potential tenants are a younger couple, are "very interested" in the unit, applied to our listing on Cozy within an hour of viewing the unit and each purchased the credit & background checks as well.The couple currently live separately from one another and they're now looking for a place together.Brief background on the girl:- Non-smoker- Monthly income meets the 3x rent requirement- Background check looks clean (SSN Trace, Civil, Sex Offender, Global Watchlist, National - all are Clear)- Credit score meets the 620 requirement- Credit report looks okay with the majority of her lines of credit showing as currentBrief background on the guy:- Non-smoker- Currently unemployed due to the coronavirus situation- Background check looks clean (SSN Trace, Civil, Sex Offender, Global Watchlist, National - all are Clear)- Credit score does not meet the 620 requirement- Credit report looks horrible (no lines of credit are current, and plenty are in collections)Our thoughts & concerns at this point, and I'm trying to place weight on those where we should and lessen the weight where we shouldn't:-The girl seems to be friendly & polite, her parent's live nearby, and her credit/background checks indicate that she's relatively financially responsible.