Look, your smart, you laid out how you can sort your way through all these things and put together the pieces to get things done.

However, with mortgage rates where they are, it might be worth waiting for them to drop a bit to refinance and pull out equity at a better rate.For your second question, improving your current property to maximize its value before a refinance or HELOC is a smart move.

House hacking in any of these markets can be a smart way to start with lower upfront costs and transition smoothly into a rental strategy.Given your options with a VA loan or investment loan, starting by living in the property can help you maximize leverage and build equity.

It's smart to have a formal lease agreement with your friends to keep everything clear and professional.

If you’re thinking about growing your real estate investments, starting an LLC early on could be a smart move.Let me know if you'd like to talk about financing options for your first property!

You'd be smart to send her a direct message.

no, everyone was smart and left that one pass with no bids.

Use the search feature (magnifying glass, upper right) and search for "tenant occupied property" or "tenant occupied rental" to find a ton of discussions.You need to know what you are doing.

Hiring a property manager can be smart move depending on the value of your time. 

Actually TALK TO THEM on the phone and/or in person, find out about their situation, and if they seem like a good fit, basically just be smart about it, and have human interactions with them, it's that simple.