I'm new to BP and the various calculators (which are sweet).  

@Anastasia WardOnce sellers start getting the idea that you can AFFORD $200k, they will hound you (charmingly and sweetly), until they relieve you of all that cash that's burning a hole in your pocket!

Acquisition phase, maintenance phase, disposition phase (if I'm remembering the terms for the 3 parts of the cycle correctly).If you're early on in career and looking to increase portfolio, should cash out and buy more with relatively high leverage (while being sure to have solid cash reserves on the side of course).If you're middle career and looking to just maintain portfolio and don't need cash flow from properties, then focusing on building equity in existing properties by using cash flow to pay down loans make sense.Then end career dispose of assets and the sweet equity you hopefully built up by selling outright or owner carry or whatever.I personally would cash out and buy more with leverage, but that's someone in acquisition mode bucket talking.

So maybe they'll realize that if they really want to be in the sweet spot for small investors like myself, they have to do better on the rate given the crazy entity stuff they're asking me to do.

My thought, however, is that the "sweet spot" on the spectrum is really at the lower end of Value Add (approaching rehibilitation but not there).I'm thinking the sweet spots for my first investment should be:1) 20 Units in Value Add 2) 5-10 Units in RehabBoth of these conditions would be coupled with some quick financial measure to identify properties that warrent further research, perhaps by applying the 2% rule to the sum of purchase cost + upfit costQuestions for those of you with experience in this space1) What is your Sweet Spot and why?

That is the way to go. 3.5% down is a sweet deal and gives you cash to clean up the place.

Sweet, I'm excited for it, Brandon!

So far a pretty sweet deal.Rent38200mortgage-13327estimate repair-3820insurance-2400estimate Property Taxes-4940HOA-1350net12363.04Down payment72000ROI17.17089Lesson learnedNeed to find a good backup contractor.

Was wondering if there is a sweet spot  when it comes to purchase price and assignment fee.

15 yrs. old that is sweet.