I suggest you self manage but always have in mind and allocate the money to pay someone else. 

I agree many/most newer investors under allocate for maintenance/cap ex.  

You will need to expect and allocate time to additional paperwork but establishing a strong working relationship with the housing adviser in your area will really help.

I think the formula comes from what takes up most of your time by managing these tenants, in the last few months, what took up more time than what you are willing to allocate?

It is designed to give you breathing room if you are allocating your cash flow properly. 

Holdfolio is allocating all earnings on this portfolio until it is performing at 100% occupancy. 

Expenses must be allocated based on personal days occupied vs. tenant days occupied.

I'm thinking that the $2,000 allocated to online marketing would be better spent marketing for cash investors to sell properties to than for sellers. 

I am allocating part of the security deposit for cleaning and trash removal.Looking ahead, I will be much more rigorous about screening the tenants and enforcing my lease. 

While multi-family units can offer higher cash flow, they often come with increased management complexity and tenant turnover, aligning with your goal to minimize hassle.Investment Allocation: With a budget of $300k, diversifying across several SFHs in Raleigh could maximize both cash flow and appreciation potential.