I live in an area where there's very few apartment complexes and many larger older homes that have been converted into small multi family homes.

My est ARV was more in the 750-800k range, but even there it's not a great equity builder given the complexity, timeline (rehab was ~9 months here, plus another 9 months of partially occupancy with tenants moving out), and amount of time I put in. 

It’s not as easy as a lot of sites or marketers make it out to be, between aging housing stock, complex legislation, and neighborhoods that literally change block-by-block.

The sad truth is, most clients make too many assumptions, and simply do not appreciate the complexity of what a PM does.

Here’s a quick, practical comparison:RentRediPros: Very user-friendly, good tenant portal, maintenance tracking, affordable.Cons: Limited accounting and reporting as you scale.Best for smaller portfolios or simple ops.BuildiumPros: Strong accounting, owner statements, solid maintenance workflow.Cons: More complex than RentRedi, less “lightweight.”Good middle ground for growing portfolios.AppFolioPros: Robust automation, strong mobile tools, great for larger ops.Cons: Higher cost, more features than some need.Best for larger or fast-scaling portfolios.If you’re outgrowing RentRedi, most people step up to Buildium (or Rentec Direct) before jumping to AppFolio.

Owners usually struggle most when portfolios grow from "manageable" to "complex," so your focus on operational efficiency and keeping owners out of the weeds is exactly where a lot of value gets created. 

Most people try to use a bulldozer (complex enterprise software) to plant a garden.

The property is a studio apt. located in a condo complex.

Management effort is similarManaging two units vs four units is not double the work.Same roof.Same building.Same lawn.Same systems.The jump in complexity is smaller than most people think.

Also no.But you’re speaking with people who already raised their hand.People who want to have a conversation.People who are open to solving a problem.That accelerates learning.You get better at:Talking to sellersUnderstanding motivationSolving real problemsStructuring real dealsInstead of spending most of your time fighting for someone to stay on the phone.At the end of the day, this business pays you for:Talking to sellersGoing on appointmentsBuilding relationshipsLocking up contractsEverything else is mostly busy work.Busy work feels productive — but it doesn’t generate revenue.Cold calling also adds complexity beginners don’t need:List pullingSystem setupTool managementCompliance concernsConstant rejection managementYou’re already learning contracts, numbers, negotiation, and market dynamics.Why make it harder?