It should go without saying, but I do understand when you're new to real estate expectations can be out of line with reality --- if you finance 100% of a deal you will not see any money out of the deal for many years and will be putting money in for many years.

Personal money How did you add value to the deal?

Louis, Memphis, and Birmingham offer a good balance of affordability and rental demand, while online platforms, auctions, and networking with local agents can help you find undervalued properties.

For now I would not waste the money if you are not renting it out.

fee of $5,000 to which I responded, "with all the money out there seeking a place to be, why would I need Lendbase to shop for a loan for me?".

How do you become a broker for hard money lending? 

That $20,000 was money invested into updates on the property. 

That said - I think a simple muitual fund would give me better returns on the same money ($900k) at 8-12% (i.e., $72k - $108k). 

The seller pays you via seller concessions and you use that money to pay your agent  4.

It's real estate in markets with population growth, it's pretty hard to lose money if you get an inspection and appraisal."....Wishful thinking at best when buying C/D properties.