There's a reason that people try to buy properties off-market and that is because you can find sellers who care more about terms than maximizing returns.So start with a conversation: you already presumably have some rapport since it's your landlord and you've spoken before.

Hey AudreyHere's a list of things you should look for in your investment properties...Start by assessing the property’s curb appeal and exterior condition, checking the roof for damage and foundation for cracks or moisture.

Do you also use Redfin/Zillow as a starting point? 

Do you think purchasing a property in Philadelphia, PA, and managing it remotely from Westchester, NY (Roughly 2-2.5 hours away) with the help of a local handyman would be too much of a stretch?

I too never thought about a houseboat community until I owned a houseboat myself and started thinking of ways to make the investment make sense.

Just to be clear, I would only charge them for lost rent, from the date they were to move in until the date someone else started paying rent.Now, would that hold up in court?

That said, even with conservative rental income estimates, my living expenses would eventually drop to several hundred dollars less than what I’m currently paying in rent once the house hack starts generating income.I do have cash reserves to weather some rough patches, but the idea of pushing my budget this hard makes me uneasy.

To start out, I'm finding renters on my own and am not renting through AirBnb or VBRO.

8 in 24 months is no joke, especially chipping away one at a time, I'm sure it has come with plenty of teachable moments, but its awesome that you are able to ask the question of how to scale.To start, a hard money lender that is only allowing you to do one at a time with your track record is... well... kind of silly.

Since graduating in 2021, I moved to Washington, DC to pursue a civil engineering career and am now feeling like I am in more of a position to start learning and pursuing real estate investing seriously.