The combination of hands-on mechanical knowledge and real business discipline is something many investors develop much later - if ever.One perspective that may serve you well early: in real estate, technical problems are often easier to solve than financial ones.A building can be “fixable” from a construction standpoint and still be a weak deal if the numbers don’t provide enough margin.

I am exploring Buildium as the software of choice going forward.  

Newark continues to show new development.

From a pure market growth and macro standpoint, I’d also strongly compare Pittsburgh to Columbus, because Columbus has seen strong population and job growth and continues attracting major employers and development, which supports long term rent demand and appreciation, while Pittsburgh is often viewed as more stable and cash flow oriented but with slower appreciation in many submarkets.

@Matthew BonaskiAbsolutely, and that perspective aligns perfectly with how real expertise is developed in our industry.

You can create boards for each property and track updates, tasks, and improvements visually.Property Management Software: Some users also leverage software like Appfolio or Buildium for more comprehensive tracking, though these can come at a cost.It really depends on your preference for simplicity versus more structured systems.

Today those properties are some of my best performing rentals and reopened my eyes to long term rental ownership.Everything I do is still heavy value add or ground up development but holding long term has changed how I underwrite and design projects compared to a scenario where the real estate is sold immediately after completion.First, I can justify using higher quality and more durable fixtures and materials.

Quote from @Marcus Ball: After struggling with local rehab properties in California, I switched to build-to-rent developers and chose a 1031 exchange.

@Jackie Bodine you don’t need to buy expensive software to pay off your mortgage early.

I am a developer & land specialist in Florida.