Regardless of what strangers on the internet with something to sell will tell you, cash flow/income from real estate in the first few years is kind of a myth unless you pay cash for a property or have a well executed short term rental or rent by the room property.

The phone / Internet line item - can you give more details what exactly thats for?

In regards to the manager they sound sleazy just fire them, it's unlikely they actually sue you for $1800 the lawyer would cost more then that, you can post negative reviews about them all over the internet for a bit of leverage if needed. 

AI is just the latest tech tool.So, they'll be good uses of it and bad.Just like the internet, PMC software, PMC support software, etc..Personally, I think the best uses will be:1) Answering repetitive owner & tenant questions- Will actually provide more human-like responses once "programmed" properly.2) Responding to tenant prospects too lazy to actually read property postings, so they call, email or text repetitive questions.3) Enhancing followup tasks- Will actually provide more human-like responses once "programmed" properly.4) Make data analysis & aggregation MUCH easier!

@Garrett Ian Dean you want financial freedom, to quit your job, your time back, and random people on the internet to understand you?

I almost fell for this myself back in 2011 when capital was near impossible to get because of the GFC I had what I think was a semi complicated bizz plan and they were just too quick to approve and did not really ask the probing questions just hammered for the 10k because I was pre approved LOL.what we see now I believe is not as much desperate or maybe equal desperate and those that simply dont know what they dont know and with the internet the way it is.. its the only shopping they do is on line its what they are used to. 

All our ads are online, so you need internet access:1) To find them2) We only schedule showings online3) To apply online4) To submit applications docs online5) Holding Agreements and Lease are only signed onlineFunny story: took over management of a property with existing tenant.

Can you rent a place out close by and run your house as an STR, since you have it set up, furniture and internet/utilities in place?  

I made my decision based on the fact that a) $5800 for a 90-day program was something I couldn't afford; b) $5800 for a 90-day program seemed VERY fishy/scam-y/pyramid-y to me; c) after scouring the internet for information, reviews, etc about the program, I found literally ZERO bad or less than 5-star reviews about it which - to me - is a massive red flag; no program, product or service is perfect, and the fact that they are making themselves appear as such really gave me a bad feeling about the program.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.