Now, that 4/2 is a bunch of extra space that a single person does not need, it's just extra crap to clean/maintain/etc.

The Property Manager had not been maintaining the property.

Whatever you do, maintain separate bank accounts for the business and set aside reserves for repairs and updates.

Similarly, you can find businesses on Yelp and Google that don't give (advertising) business to Yelp and Google.But if we want to balance out the force, sure, here's Darth Vader's mortgage broker directory (which also lists folks who do not send business to the parent-lender that sponsors the particular directory in question):https://www.rocketmortgage.com...If you know of something like that, that knows broker from banker (in California and some other states, that's concurrently also the difference between a fiduciary and a salesperson), that isn't run/maintained/etc by a major national wholesale lender, I'll happily plug that instead when this comes up in the future.

I would like to hear some of the pros & cons of this strategy from anyone who has done this before and if this has been an effective strategy for you.

Eventually your cash flow from properties and job/business allow you to buy them faster and faster -- a snowball effect takes place. 

Lower Maintenance - downsizing typically reduces the amount of labor required to maintain the home because there is less area available to clean.

Are there any owners of properties effected by hurricane Ida in Louisiana?

Such as maintaining the garden, cleaning the wood stove, winterizing the windows etc. 

At this time when you can borrow at rates that are literally less than the rate of inflation (they are effectively paying you to borrow money) you probably will not be getting much simpathy from lenders.