I also live a somewhat atypical life (kind of like a digital nomad, I guess, but not completely) -- my goal is always maximum freedom and the ability to move around the globe with relative ease.While my dream is to have multiple small houses around the world, I need a "home base" to start in the US.

Also, make sure that the installing technician pulls a 500 micron vacuum on the system (using a digital vacuum gauge) to insure no refrigerant leaks. 

If I was coaching my younger self, this is what I would recommend: Read Brandon Turner's book on Rental Property Investing https://www.amazon.com/Book-Rental-Property-Investing-Passive-ebook/dp/B018UTI2DOListening to the BP Real Estate podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastListening to the BP money podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshowAttend your local REIA meetings to networkStart analyzing deals to get practiceEngage more on the BP forumsPost a profile pic ;)All the best!

I would go the digital route for your application, there are a ton of benefits there, easy to manage, integrated with screening reports, no retyping tenant info into your database or to pull reports, plus it's usually way easier for tenants to fill out.

Still keeping the rental experience front of mind, you may not need it right now (since it sounds like you're inheriting tenants) but a platform that also offers listing to 10+ major sites, comprehensive tenant screening, digital leases, contactless online payments, and maintenance tracking means that you're going to be more familiar with it as your tool of choice so when the time comes that your on the hunt for that next tenant, you'll be super prepared, keeping all of your bases covered. 

For my housekeeper I'm considering adding an extra $20 per clean for her to do the extra attention to detail and light maintenance things (change light bulbs, update 4 digit code on door every 3 months etc,spot clean upholstery/carpets, etc).

Something tells me you'll cycle through a few before you land on a good one that you align with :) By that time your portfolio will be in the double digits and you'll have sophisticated books to lean on for future leveraging opportunities and clean data for any sales down the road.Good luck!  

For MTR prop owners out there....https://www.inc.com/jessica-st...Looks like types 1-3 would potentially be MTR candidates: Freelance digital nomads, Digital nomad business owners, Salaried digital nomads.Good luck!

Will dig it up.

The reason this is attractive to me is because it is passive and you get double digit returns on your money.