Starting looking for opportunities last Fall and so far it's been terrible.

You should have already started the eviction process!

Your financial background is a huge asset, and it’s great that you’re starting locally in Milwaukee while keeping an eye on future expansion.If you’re looking to connect with like-minded investors, the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin is a fantastic resource for networking with rental portfolio owners, accessing legal resources, and finding contractors. https://www.aasew.org/For mentors, funding sources, and flippers, the Milwaukee REIA is another great group to explore. https://www.milwaukeereia.com/I’m a member of both and find unique value in each—maybe we’ll cross paths at a future meeting!

Quick heads-up: Starting January 4, 2025, Pennsylvanias Act 52 requires anyone involved in wholesaling real estate to be a licensed agent.

I want to make sure I screen tenants properly, but I am not sure where to start.

The property was occupied (still is) with 1 tenant that I am now having the exhausting pleasure of evicting. 2yrs later, said tenant continues to try every angle to delay the court granted Marshall’s execution.The “2nd” floor was poorly renovated (bad contractors), new tenant moved in and a year later, another eviction process has started as they lost their job and refuse to move or pay.Stuck with a very large mortgage bill (that I am paying), utilities and making small repairs to keep the property up also noting the casual 311 complaints from both tenants. 

Back to the DTI, if you want a quick down and dirty way to do it, start with the bottom line 24 on the 2024 return, then add back in Depreciation (line 18), and possibly interest expense (lines 12 and 13) IF it's also counted against your debt in the liabilities section of the application.

When I started in WA DC area funding a few new projects..

More of a general trend, when we started we asked the same question. how low can I get it?

I would start at paperstac and Brett Burky and Co.