I do need to grow my income without cutting down on the amount he pays me, so will need to figure out how to 1.) take on new non-competing projects that 2.) doesn't interfere with my hours at the contractor, as it is a stable paycheck.

Phone screening before showing will cut way back on your qualified tenants, because some otherwise qualified tenants will be annoyed or offended by the grilling before they've even seen the unit.

If they are literally identical fourplexes, you'd just cut your negotiated purchase price in half and hand the lender two signed contracts, one for each.

Pay down debt, budget/cut expenses, increase income, and finally save/invest.

Not greedy, or looking to wipe people dry, cuts no corners but has phenomenal deals he gets.Just paying it forward cause he’s done so much for me.

Banks will typically limit you to 4 houses before they cut you off.If you do things the way I do them by using "Subject To" to buy the properties, you get in more cheaply and there is no bank to cut you off so you can do as many of these as you care to.

Hey there- we help clients get into investment properties in Denver and Colorado Springs, and would say the main thing is to be very clear on what your most important metric is (cash on cash, cash flow, cap rate, etc.) because we often see people look at multiple metrics, which can make it very hard to make a decision.

Spelled out more clearly:1. 

You need to clearly define your short and long term goals, before assessing if it makes sense to place your money into it.

They have more skin in the game then you do.Make sure you get clear title.