Use cash or financing

[Tanner Johnson]

Hello, I am 18 and getting into the world of investment real estate. My grandfather is a large rental real estate investor, he and his crew built many apartment complexes when he was young and still owns them today, I’ll keep it simple. I have 2 large lots in the same neighborhood with enough space on them to build 2 1500 sqft sfrs on each lot. I’ve made all my blueprints and details and they’ve been approved by inspector just need to submit for permit but I’m waiting until financial plans are confirmed, and that’s my question. Priced out construction should cost about 50-55k and will be worth around 150-175k when finished. I have about 60k saved and am earning about 2k per month. So here’s the question, should I just build my first house with cash and finance the other 3, or keep the cash sum and finance all 4. Personally, I really like the idea of owning the first one as a safety net while financing the other 3. I feel this will be a safe choice because the first one will be generating about 1200/m and facing any vacancies or unexpected incidents that could be very helpful. I would appreciate perspective on how an experienced investor would handle this if they were starting out in this position.