Quote from @Elealeh Fulmaran: Shahab, start with these three that turn theory into action fast: 1) The Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner for clear numbers, deal anatomy, and beginner-friendly frameworks; 2) Real Estate by the Numbers by J Scott and Dave Meyer to level up underwriting, sensitivity checks, and real-world decision rules; 3) The One Thing by Gary Keller to lock your focus so you actually execute your first deal instead of dabbling.

Reviewing local income levels and rent comps in that specific neighborhood could help guide your pricing now and also inform your third purchase.As for the third property, I would personally want to stabilize the second one first.

I started when I only had a few rental doors, and as I’ve added more units it’s still been solid to manage rent collection, bookkeeping, and expenses in one place.What’s worked for me:Rent payments and income/expense tracking all in a unified dashboard — makes it easier than juggling spreadsheets + separate accounts.Property-level record-keeping, so each unit’s finances stay separated (good if you scale toward 20+ units).Simplicity: setup was straightforward and I didn’t need to be a software expert to get things going.

Wages for all income levels need to catch up to prices.

The costs are the costs—foundations, lumber, and core building components do not get cheaper just because it is an entry-level product.

Confirm Rent Roll + Property-Level DataMatch lease agreements, deposits, and collected rents to your books.

The forums are a great place to meet people and bounce ideas back and forth but this is a higher level conversation that needs to happen between you and your trusted tax advisor. 

Since the Bonus Depreciation rate is 100% in 2026 (based on current legislation), and I lose no dollar value of the deduction; this merely guarantee the full 12 months to accrue the necessary MP hours and secure the deduction against your 2026 income.While at the fundamental level I agree with my tax advisor, I have already accrued 20+ hours via inspection, insurance shopping and other administrative tasks and have a good plan of action for rest of year.

Since the Bonus Depreciation rate is 100% in 2026 (based on current legislation), and I lose no dollar value of the deduction; this merely guarantee the full 12 months to accrue the necessary MP hours and secure the deduction against your 2026 income.While at the fundamental level I agree with my tax advisor, I have already accrued 20+ hours via inspection, insurance shopping and other administrative tasks and have a good plan of action for rest of year.

Again, others might feel differently here.3) property level due diligence: (takes seconds to weeks per deal): here is where I drill in with the low-level details.a) pro forma popping: I examine all the assumptions, and see if they are overoptimistic or not.