However the multi family guys will always argue they can scale quicker and it's easier on the maint side of things. 

You will learn so much about the process and you can build a foundational understanding of the business before scaling and bringing a property manager on board.

On a larger scale, syndicators buy large apartment buildings and hotels in appreciating areas all of the time, paying investors back based on the equity growth in the property. 

I am a newer investor (located in Columbia, SC and Portland, OR) looking to scale my buy-and-hold portfolio.

Based on this information I've started having conversations with my realtor and and lender to try and scale up the price point at which I'm pursuing MFHs. 

I understand the typical scale is from A-D, but where exactly would you find this grade for a neighborhood?

Rented after 4 months of rehab and a cashout refi that will set us up nicely to scale quicker than previously expected.

I think it depends on what kind of property you want to buy and whether you want to scale your business or grow slowly.If you take a loan off your 401k, you'll pay less, but grow more slowly.

Whereas, a single $250k MFR would only require $10-13K.You'll give up the little efficiencies of scale that a duplex provides. 

I am looking to scale up and get 2 more properties by the end of the year and I know the most effective way to do this is by freeing up my time to find deals.