However, the tax treatment differs between short-term and long-term rentals:Short-Term Rentals (STRs): If you materially participate (work 100+ hours and more than anyone else on the property), you may be able to offset rental deductions against W-2 or other active income, offering greater tax benefits.Long-Term Rentals (LTRs): If your AGI exceeds $100K, your rental losses may be limited, unless you qualify as a Real Estate Professional (REPS).If you plan to expand your rental portfolio, consider an LLC later for liability protection and easier management.

In my case, I have residential rentals in one LLC, commercial properties in another, self-storage in a third, and my real estate company operates in a fourth.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

ABC’s of real estate investing : Ken McElroy 2.

I have been devouring books by Brandon Turner to get a better grasp on a macro view of the theories of real estate investing .

Quote from @V.G Jason: The real question is duration of these tariffs. 

Why ask: A mentor who is actively involved in the market is more likely to offer relevant, real-time insights, strategies, and lessons learned.

I would try not to tie up any of the principal in down payments.Personally, I had a family member do this same thing, but they used an investment portfolio as the collateral instead of real estate.If you play your cards right, this might be the only short-term money you ever need.Please let us know what you end up doing.

Just decided to get back into retail real estate too so, back helping fellow investors and Home Owners acquire property along with my own projects this should be fun lol.

That is why it is hard to get regular real estate loans on assets valued so low, the cost of the refinance makes it so you are paying higher than they can legally charge you percentage wise.