Hours include drive time:                    2.5 hoursFilled out insurance application for 123 Maple Street and discussed with broker:   1 hourA lined sheet of paper could accomplish this.  

You’re doing it the right way by thinking about systems early.For the bank accounts, keep it simple but separate:Open one checking account just for rent income and property expenses (repairs, taxes, insurance, etc.).

Fix it with a simple system: pick one clear target for the next 90 days, block two power hours on your calendar weekly for only high‑leverage tasks analyzing deals, making offers, building your team, and hold yourself accountable with a quick weekly review what moved the needle, what didn’t, what’s next.

What looks good on paper can fall apart when it matters most. 

Quote from @Adam Macias: A 50-year mortgage sounds like affordability — but it’s really it'll be debt that never ends. lolOn paper, stretching a mortgage from 30 years to 50 lowers the monthly payment, yes.But in reality, you’re paying far more in interest while barely building equity for decades.If you buy a house at 25 years old if you're lucky, you'll be 75 when the mortgage term ends...It’s housing that feels like ownership but functions more like renting — just with a longer contract and a higher total cost.The real problem isn’t the length of the loan.It’s the affordability crisis that’s forcing people to consider lifetime debt as a solution.Until we address prices, wages, and supply, extending loan terms only delays the inevitable...The further elimination of the middle class chasing the American Dream of owning a home. 

It’s more about managing paper than property — and yet, the returns can be very steady.Curious if anyone here started with rentals and later moved into notes?

The biggest surprises most people mention are how much due diligence still matters and how different managing paper risk is from managing property risk.

You can find higher ROI (on paper) here and probably in other cities…but the probability of actually collecting rent significantly decreases.

A lot of times the yield looks better on paper but you get a lot more surprise expenses.

I’ve been working on a simple underwriting tool for small investors who don’t want to spend an hour in Excel every time they look at a property.Here’s how it works:Drop in the basics (price, rent, expenses, loan terms)In 30 seconds, it spits out NOI, Cap Rate, DSCR, Cash-on-Cash, and a simple traffic-light recommendation (Green / Yellow / Red)You get a clean one-page summary you can actually use to make a quick “go/no-go” callI’m testing it out with real investors now.