I know the area like the back of my hand and believe Indiana has tons of upside to invest in.I came from a low-middle-class family of teachers.

If you are very conservative purchase a fixer upper so you can force equity and hopefully have a low enough payment so that you can LTR the property or even sell for profit should the STR avenue not work. 

I own a 200 year old house that has a very low cost of repairs and maintenance over the 4 years I've owned it.

Your best bet since your working on your capital are going to be to use low money down hard-money lender.

A HELOC on your duplex or home offers flexible, low-interest financing ideal for BRRRR, with potential tax-deductible interest if used for property expenses.

If you have a low interest rate, consider a HELOC for value-add BRRRRs or flips. 

In the second half of the year, market by market, the supply will slow to near record lows, which will be a key theme in 2026.

Positive cash flow and low interest, i assume, long term loan is an enviable position that with time will produce larger cash flow.  

@Anshuman ThakurThere are some very good advantages to investing in Nevada, low property taxes, no income tax, and landlord friendly.

Where trust is low, though, things are slower or more expensive or both.- Understand that you can have never more than 2/3 of the following:  Fast, Good, and Cheap.