Is 20 year ground contact lumber common?

I'm thinking of the expression "whatever works is what works for you" so I'm curious if maybe you should flip this problem upside down and start by thinking things like•What do I want my life to look like in 5-10 years?

When contacting a potential tenant's previous landlord, consider asking about the tenant's payment history, whether they consistently paid rent on time, how they maintained the property, if there were any complaints from neighbors, and the reason for leaving.

It might allow you to go from 3-5 properties per year to 12+. 

Here are our mortgages and a snapshot of each one1) Primary residence: 6.2%, $2,240/month (29 years left)2)First rental: 3.2%, $1,440/month ($500 CF, 10 years left)3) Second rental: 7.2%, $2,100/month ($300 CF, 30 years left)4) Save another 20% for another investment home.

AND it works other wise they would not keep doing it.so A true private lender is someone you personally know or have met who has money in their IRA or other cash but lending is not their business they just make a few loans a year to those close to them. 

A short back story is a long term friend and co worker and I have been talking for a year about getting in to rentals (his parents own 12).

Understand the fees involved and calculate the total cost for an entire year of management so you can compare the different managers.

I called WF and they said for business account I need a registered business like LLC etc which I do not have.I would go a step further and set up 1 Bank account for each property, this way at the end of the year you can go through each properties bank accounts to see what the income and expenses were. 

Minor cosmetic and efficiency upgrades over four and a half years.