I think one of them would be a Subject To agreement from your brother to an LLC/partnership that you and your brother create that would allow the loan to stay in his name but the LLC would operate the property and earn the cash flow. 

You'll be surprised what some Sellers will accept in exchange for reduced taxes and a steady income;2.

.- Niche Knowledge: (STR rules, ADU's, Zoning Expertise, down payment assistance programs, AFH, Opportunity Zones, etc)- Discounting: (If you are new you could always discount your services to add value (reduced commission for brokers, lower management fee, reduced fees for JV's).- Superior Service: Somewhat counterintuitively you can actually add more value despite being new.

As long as they complete the job on time and under budget, there will/should be a higher profit, and they earn more because of it.

You’ll have to pay realtor commissions but usually it’s a reduced deal since there’s no advertising and they’re keeping both sides. 

It will take more work on the property team but will reduce future questions/complains.3.

For that kitchen, I would have installed two $15 to $20 ceiling lights that give better lighting, a cabinet over the stove to drop the fan lower, more cabinets and a tile or linoleum floor.When we remodel units our goal is to do everything possible to reduce maintenance in the future.

PDX is also very unfriendly to landlords, so we are selling the home there, and will be investing the proceeds here in Kentucky in two (according to my wife) or three (I hope) homes that we can rent and earn some passive income once she's done with the Army in ten-or-so years.We expect one more duty station after we leave Kentucky and hope to use our VA benefits to purchase a home wherever that might be to add to the portfolio (We really wish we'd been smarter and done the same in Denver and Long Island).

Another vote (from another local) for house hacking here in Socal.A trickle of cashflow from the Midwest is less valuable that reducing your cost of living and building equity here on the coast.Best,Jon

@Deirdre Cullen I would recommend buying used furniture from Craig's List, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace ect. as students can be fairly unpredictable and reducing the cost up front would be the easiest way to reduce your risk.