Yet you do have the ability (and hopefully the passion) to grow and INVEST in properties with time, which could be done remotely as well.Good Luck!

The reason being it was easier to manage quarterly tax payments and we are still afforded the ability to defer income via a 401K plan we have within the companies. 

One bad investment that leads to a financial loss or foreclosure will damage your ability to continue investing in real estate for many years to come. 

Students were practically knocking down the door to get in....AND they've already asked if they can extend their leases for an extra year.  

With your team's background in construction and interior work, I would say you should look into flipping and if a deal comes along that you don't have the bandwidth for, you have the ability to wholesale it with a good estimate on rehab/renovation costs.There should be an informal BP Meet-Up soon that I would recommend attending, they are a great way to network with other investors in a low-pressure atmosphere.

There's a little learning curve when it comes to quickly creating new time sheets, but the ability to sync across multiple devices will make it well worth your time learning the app.

Is that normal practice? 

So just use any opportunity to practice real estate5.

I bank with BofA simply because of their convenience and Chase had some pretty sketchy practices with taking money out of my accounts for fake over-drafts that they caused.

The Republicans retaliated with a vengeance and have essentially crippled the IRS's ability to retain and hire talented auditors.