I definitely have a biased opinion on our market here.

Other platforms like RentRedi are so overloaded with features and require additional subscriptions that I gave up on it --- Baselane was simple as hell and did those things better IMO but is missing some core pieces.What platforms do you love for the above items?

Consider long-term goals, market trends, improvements, tax benefits, and flexibility.

5 years from when you list it for sale on the market?

My goal is to focus on non-QM (Qualified Mortgage) clients and underserved markets.

I am looking to house hack, but I am having issues finding the right markets in Northern California that have good population growth or at least a market that has a steady stream of tenants.

Items I would like to see integrated:- CRM- Email Marketing Campaign (likely from CRM platform)- Issue/Break fix tracking

If we were to rent out the unit we live in the place would cashflow, even if it were slightly bellow market rent.  

I think VA is a better market in terms of price growth vs MD, and a lot of my investor clients agree.In terms of local networks for mentorship/networking/guidance, there are two I know of in NoVa that I have personally been to:NOVA REI Meetups - they meet at Tysons Mall once a month.Cash Flow Breakfast Clubs - there are a few locations including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, etc.

Lower interest rates would certainly make projects more attractive.It'll be interesting to see how lenders balance the need for risk mitigation with the opportunity to capture a larger market share by offering competitive rates