It will also give me the ability to sell properties for others as well, which open me up to a whole other side of real estate.

And it is possible that it won't ever turn around ...Finally, the AV is far away from you (OP) ... unless you are looking to move out there to house hack, the distance will dramatically effect your ability to manage and control your investments.

Good points on sale-ability vs rent-ability of units in undesirable locations.  

Being from Mass, I have the ability to take a "FHA" type loan out, but with that I would need the loan in my name, and I would need to stay in the property for the first year.

We manage 7 units with the same general setup for automation.SmartThings is the central automation hub for most of it with ST controlling:- EcoBee3 Thermostat- Schlage KeyPad Lock (remote code ability and they keep working even if the unit loses power or wifi)- First Alert Smoke/CO Detector- Water Sensor to detect leaks- At least 1 lamp per unit that can be turned on remotelyST lets you set alerts so that if the smoke detector is triggered it'll send an SMS letting you know which one and when.Generally we operate one ST hub for a set of units.All that is connected to the internet via Google Wifi that also provides guests internet access, they are small round devices you place throughout the rental. 

The most important feature for me is having the ability to change entry codes remotely for different guests that check in.

Just qualifying as RE pro will not grant you ability to deduct the losses.

I completely understand the value and ease that a good agent brings to the table, but at the same time, leaving that money behind will hinder my ability to move forward with scaling up into a down pmt. on a multi-family or portfolio purchase.

That being said, the policies can make a ton of sense for an individual who wants to ensure that they can take care of a family member or meet another obligation that they know they will need to regardless of their ability to obtain term insurance well into the future.  

Hey how's it going, the biggest problem with not having a w-2 income is not how much you will get taxed it's more so your ability to get loans.