One golden rule I follow,if it takes a long time to fix/replace when it breaks, don't buy a cheap one.Imagine, this thing breaks in the middle of your peak season and the people who can come out to rebuild are 2 weeks out....It takes at least a day or two to build something like this even if you are super skilled.

Start small with strategies like house hacking, leveraging your hands-on skills for value-add properties, and building a strong team or network to reduce risks.

My cost wont necessarily be the same or comparable as I GC my own projects and have trade skills.

Quote from @Samuel Hudson: Hello friends I am new the market and recently bought a home in Weehawken 6 months backs .Its a three family home and we are currently doing renovations Right now.The rent leveling board told me that two units would have to follow a rent of 1650 for unit 1 which has three bedrooms and another unknown amount for unit 2 which they don’t have the information for .The previous seller I purchased the property from bought it as a tax lien .He has kept the property vacant for two years with no tenants before selling it to me .However ,the previous Owner he bought it from must have had tenants .I am putting in a lot of money into renovations and want some clarity on the situation I am in .The property has been vacant for the two years and currently still is as we are doing renovation .It would be really appreciated if anyone can assist me on what information needs to be provided by from the previous seller for me to be able to set the rent based on the market value .Thank you . 

Target neighborhoods like Brewerytown, Kensington, and Point Breeze, where demand and ARV potential are currently strong.Your skills in renovations will give you a significant edge in controlling costs and boosting returns.

We have tried to take all the skills we have learned in our W2 carrier and apply them to our personal business. 

Generally larger commercial properties and shopping centers are easier to classify with hard and fast rules, but to the points above the residential areas really move very quickly and have way more nuance than most people care to admit.zip codes are generally way too large for my liking at least in my market to provide any kind of insights other than macro level economics but even then highways or rivers that cut through a zip code can end up with totally different trade areas.we can get pretty granular with cellphone data and with grocery center data to understand the trade areas and their true boundaries, but that kind of data pull is generally only cost effective for investors doing larger scale projects or developments, and honestly we still just end up getting on the ground and feeling it out, so I generally tell people that the money is better spent on a plane ticket and weekend trip in the area you are looking rather than any kind of "trade area" level data studies.and generally B class in 1 area means something different than another. 

That's just someone with poor negotiating skills. 

I learned a lot about the real estate side of the project and we now have the skills to help others work through this process.What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

I’m drawn to the endless opportunities the Texas market offers and am committed to building my knowledge and skills to make smart, strategic investments.Right now, I’m focused on understanding the basics—everything from evaluating properties and navigating financing to learning about the unique aspects of the Texas real estate market.