Get a mentor to help you and always Check with an attorney to assure you are in total compliance.I build new for rental primarily for the following reason: 1) I am a builder and have the KSAO's (knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other) means necessary to efficiently and effectively build; 2) I buy all my land substantially below market value (usually off-market); 3) any land I buy at market has an immediate value-add component that can quickly make it worth more that what I paid for it; and 4) Cap Ex is generally MUCH less for new construction which means a stronger cash flow up front, but you are always going to need to maintain a suitable Cap Ex account if you are truly going to hold for more than I'd say 7-10 years.... but everybody has their separate opinions and thought process concerning what the "right" amount to designate to Cap Ex is proper..... 

@Brian Adzadi , the tagging feature is not available on the mobile app yet.

I don't quite have a path designed to reach my goal yet but am considering investing in the places i've lived in kansas.

*knock on wood*  Good credit. 750-810 rangeFull time job as a graphic designer~$30,000 in non-retirement savings and investment accountsWhat I hope to achieveFinancial independence within 10-15 years (~$4000/month).

I'm an interior designer (as well as a real estate investor) and I have a small kitchen/bath renovation I am doing for a client in Clayton NC.  

Rinse and RepeatThese are the only tasks that designate a Real Estate Investor.

If your wife is managing things full-time, she can designate as a real estate professional which will help on the taxes, especially the rental losses.

Hypothetically, my wife enjoys real estate so she works more than 750 hours in our personal investment real estate which would qualify her as a "real estate professional" which designation provides unlimited passive losses to ordinary income.

I've handled tasks like simple service calls all the way up to designed/build projects.

Apartments = higher cost/larger investment, larger cash flow, more stable source of cash flow, more buyers if you ever want to sell (more buyers = more potential value.I am an offer of help if needed for further thinking and design for your projects.Thanks.