I have a plan to buy 1 rental property for every 5 builds that we do.

This prompted me to shift my focus towards planning for the future and setting clear goals.Motivated by a desire to own a home someday, I began exploring listings on platforms like Zillow and Redfin.

Some base their decisions strictly on numbers and do not care about the area, while others are okay with a lower yield but focus on the city and even specific neighborhoods.

I plan on renting it for at least a year and then perhaps trying to sell.

@Jeff Daring in the standard contracts we use, specific lender is stated in the contract, so a denial from that lender would likely be all you need to exit with your deposit back unless you did something to sabotage the loan.

I am not planning on driving the routes - would need to have a manager & dispatcher while having trucks and drivers actually drive the routes and deliver packages.The businesses seem to be quite strong cash-flow-wise but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to get into this business.Would appreciate any feedback on this.Thanks.

@Ryan Sweeney @Ron AngelThere are providers of both checkbook IRAs and Solo 401k plans that regularly post to these forums.

It always seems to take longer, cost more and cause more stress than I plan 

I agree though... you either roll up your sleeves and make some sacrifices if you plan to DIY or you hire out the hard work and are happy to pay for the privilege. 

If you plan to operate this product, you still need to have cash to bring to the table as well as enough liquidity for rehabbing (you can get reimbursed through draws, but you start out using your own liquid).