When picking a market, look for places with good rent-to-price ratios and stable job growth.

For vacancy rates, I would Google it for your jurisdiction with recognition that small operators usually cannot turn a unit as quickly as bigger operators but may end up with less vacancies so it may be a wash overall but in my underwriting, if I had no handyman crew, I would use a bit higher rate than the jurisdiction’s vacancy rate.property manager reduces the need for a book keeper and can make tax person’s job easier but likely does not eliminate the need.    

How demanding is that job?

I’m 29, currently working a W2 job, and starting to dive into real estate investing.

As I young teenager I was introduced to real estate investing from my football coach who at the time was heavily invested throughout the Chicago area and with doing so was able to leave his job as a Chicago Police officer.

Good job! 

I moved here from Portland in 2020 and now own 10+ rentals because the fundamentals are so strong—population growth, job growth, and huge companies like Intel, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Honda, Microsoft, LG and others investing heavily here.

I do  have a good paying job that helps me pay my primary residence, but I like to plan for rainy days.My ultimate goal is have enough rental income to live off of, so I know conventional wisdom says I need to buy more rentals.

Now keep in mind, these are the guys that have been trained and are not starting up "cold turkey"Have at least 6 months of reserves on hand for eating, bills etc to cover the slow months.Going into winter is not a great time for the market in most places.Wholesaling is one of the highest taxed jobs you can have.Does it work, yes.

When I'm evaluating MF opportunities, I’m focused on:• Rent demand, job growth, and the local supply pipeline• Expense ratios compared to market norms• Break-even occupancy and how conservative the underwriting is• How the deal performs under downside scenarios (flat rents, higher expenses, cap rate expansion)Multifamily is predictable.