Sellers continue to drive the Valdosta market even during this higher rate environment.

We would rather buy in a higher class and have less cash flow/come out even and focus on appreciation and long term.

Even less if splitting the lots costs any real money. 

Quote from @Lei Wei: Ko Olina is beautiful.How would you even make that work?

Quote from @Martin Streich: @Sami Gren  it is illegal to edit a contract midterm, even with the tenants consent.

@William Taylor so many options...Use your RE knowledge to: WholesaleFind rental deals to sell to investors locally or here on BPStart leveraging your personal contacts to build your sales businessFind a motivated seller willing to do seller financing:- Move in worst room or basement, rent out all the other rooms for max cashflow- You could even live in the basement and STR the rest of the house

In short, having all the conversations and commitments in strategy, setting up LLC and all the fun docs of who's doing what, and I'd suggest even getting initial funding into account for at least EM. 

I know LA is expensive so I’m not really sure what/ where I could even afford.

I focus on finding deals that meet specific criteria, and I always keep my underwriting conservative to make sure the numbers work even on a worst case scenario.Right now, my big goal is to land my first property, ideally 20+ units in Florida, and build a strong portfolio from there.

Yes, definitely open up a HELOC even if you don't plan on using it.