Good morning @Cosmo DePintoHuntsville is an exceptional market where I’ve personally seen investors’ portfolios thrive.

Quote from @Basit Siddiqi: I personally would not buy real estate with a retirement account.There are just too many headaches that are not worth the potential increased return.Some headaches when it comes to investing in real estate with a retirement account1) LTV values are less and harder to find lenders.2) Potential to sell or partially distibute the property if you have to do a RMD(Required Minimum Distribution)3) If you run out of cash and have to make a major repair, you may be out of luck and have to sell.4) Having to potentially worry about UBTI(Unrelated Business Taxable Income)I would personally invest in stocks/bonds/notes with a retirement account.I buy deals with cash and use a ROTH SDIRA so there are no RMD's.I buy at huge discounts to retail.

Find someone where there is a personal connection and at some point your relationship now or later can benefit the mentor.

Although the journey has been worth it, I've sacrificed quite a bit from a personal lifestyle perspective, relationships, etc.

but i also 2nd @Jay Hurst's sentiments - get a 2nd or even 3rd opinion on DTI/ full doc. i personally love files that are puzzles, i get some weird satisfaction out of figuring out how to make it work on full-doc, especially when my client has been told "no" before. if it doesn't work now, a good loan professional will help you create a path forward.

I mean I got financially wiped out personally..

They not only went to our office, but also the personal residences of myself and Kevin Bupp.

I have two phones, one for business and one for personal.

Congratulations on the duplex -My investor clients have acquired several multi-family investment properties locally in the market I operate in Northwest Indiana - Figure out your personal investment objective for the next 4 years and align yourself with the next property that make sense in this current market environment-

Most building codes and HUD standards require bedrooms to have windows for egress and ventilation.