In my experience with distressed tenants, their housing costs are always their first priority, and one in which they have the most pride in maintaining.

I'm not familiar with Clusia...is it really hard to maintain/trim?

This way, you can ensure you’re meeting their expectations and maintaining a strong, positive relationship.

Market and economy added value while I maintained the residence to high standards.

Here’s the plan I’ve come up with, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on its feasibility, potential risks, and any improvements you might suggest.The Plan1.Pay Off Mortgage: I currently have $170K left on my mortgage, and my goal is to aggressively pay it off in the next 1.5 years.2.Establish Emergency Fund: Before making any big moves, I’ll set aside 6-12 months’ worth of expenses as an emergency fund.3.Extract Equity: Once the mortgage is paid off, I’ll pull out the equity from the property.4.First Flip: Using the extracted equity, I’ll purchase another house, fix it up, and sell it for a profit.5.Reinvest Flip Profits: Instead of buying another property immediately, I’ll use the profits from the flip to renovate the original property, aiming to increase its rental income and appraisal value.6.Reappraise and Extract Equity Again: After renovating, I’ll get the original property reappraised and extract additional equity based on its increased value.7.Purchase Rental Properties: With the additional equity, I’ll start purchasing rental properties that offer positive cash flow and have growth potential.8.Leverage Equity Strategically: I’ll use equity from the original property and any new properties while maintaining a healthy loan-to-value ratio (LTV), ideally around 70-75%.9.Build Rental Portfolio: I’ll focus on acquiring a mix of property types (e.g., single-family homes, multi-family units) to diversify my investments.10.Focus on Cash Flow: I’ll prioritize properties that generate consistent positive cash flow, ensuring that rental income covers all expenses, including mortgage payments, maintenance, and management fees.11.Long-Term Hold: I’ll hold properties long-term to benefit from appreciation and tax advantages.

The wife maintains separate bank accounts for each rental & escrow accounts for each of the properties we seller financed.

To thrive in real estate investing, you must maintain a firm grip on your finances.

I have another one under remodeling that I plan to do as a short term rental (no experience yet, but this house is next door to my home).I have a dedicated website that I maintain myself where I publish the details, applications etc, also list it on zillow and do the screening through mysmartmove.

Have a legal advisor or counsel review your documents before signing.These will make your ultimate exit strategy, post Hard Money financing period, much easier when: - preparing & submitting paperwork for individual tax returns - maintaining the note in good stating with consistent payments & digital payment history paper trail - digital and/or easy access to documentation - preparing for a Re-Fi, Conventional financing, payoff, or even Flip/Sale & deed/title reconveyance to remove the Hard Money Lein holider at the end of the note's term

They also do not work in a timely fashion so if it’s a rental that could be a problemJust food for thoughtFor us what we make sure we do is service and maintain our equipment like hvac and appliances which often leads to longer life spans