We're at the point where we're going to buy an appartment in Dubai. 

It's a competitive market and most of the people that get in trouble here are ones that buy blindly without actually figuring out the numbers, etc.You'd be surprised the number of times I get asked after month one if their electric bill of $xxx or whatever is normal, and the thought running through my head is "how did you not  check things like that before you committed half a million dollars to something?"

Investment Info:Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Beloit.

@Brady Bitter since  you are buying new construction what makes you think you are getting 25% equity.

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

This could work well if you’re looking for steady monthly returns and don’t mind managing tenants (or hiring a property manager).Selling could also make sense if you’d rather use the $500,000 to diversify into other investments, like buying multiple properties or even a short-term rental on the lake as you mentioned.

KwanzaHi Kwanza, I can help answer this question as I've worked with investors and helped them buy LTRs, MTRs, and STRs (own quite a few myself as well).

Over time, I discovered mistake #2 was not buying them right.

Convert the property you are living in now to your second rental, and buy a new home for yourself. 

I have not heard of one of those, but am gearing up to buy my second house and could possibly use some sort of loan program like that!