I’d recommend connecting with local REI meetups, following some BiggerPockets podcasts, and learning the basics of analyzing deals and creative financing.

I’ve always stressed that a thorough knowledge of real estate principles, real estate law, and real estate finance is imperative for a sustainable profitable career as an ACTIVE real estate investor.  

Once you learn some of the basics and get comfortable with dealing with long term tenants and the building is stabilized, repairs have been made and completed then I would move into the more lucrative short term or long term if you can.

Hey Andrew, welcome to BP and yeah, $3,500 for a basic 1-bed turnover plus another $400 for cleaning definitely feels on the higher end unless there was major damage or a full repaint/flooring replacement involved.

Yeah I basically need someone several times a year to just make sure pipes dont freeze.

Hey Jerell, yes, people do this all the time, and it can work really well as long as the numbers are tight.A balloon note or hard-money loan is basically just a temporary bridge.

So I basically got these 14 properties for free with zero out of pocket money to buy them.

You basically kept your checkbook on a computer and then used classes to track income and expenses by property which is what you need for your Schedule E.4.

I'm glad it helped even outside the DFW market.A lot of these principles apply nationally, especially for beginners looking to scale with predictable numbersPHX has its own quirks though... tighter spreads, faster DOM in certain pockets, and a bit more volatility depending on build year.

The key is specialization, not geography.When you’re interviewing CPAs, ask them this very basic question:“How do you handle taxes and accounting differently for real estate agents versus real estate investors?”