STR management is 20-25% (I would recommend self managing or getting a VA), since income is higher you could probably get away with 5% for maintenance / cap ex but remember you need to cover utilities and cleaning for these units which drives up costs.

But for homeowners its fantastic way to start in home ownership one of the best I have ever seen !! 

This is where I started as well, and then about 5 years later I was able to leave my W2.

Your mentor’s advice about starting with a rental property is solid, and a duplex could be a great option for house hacking.

So all in all, the investment seems solid to me, and this is not my first rodeo, as they say.As for the risks associated with the SBLOC, I minimize those by only utilizing a portion of the LOC so that even if the market drops another, lets say 30%, the risk of margin call is slim.

Hello @Camille Romero congrats on getting started on your real estate journey. 

Would you recomend me buying out my lease, so I can start this process?

I am planning on not resigning my lease and starting of my RE venture. 

My thoughts were that this would be a short-term solution.However, the more I think about it, I’m starting to lean toward a cash-out refinance over 25 years, with a minimum payment structure.

When I started, I  submitted great deals to a corporate cash buyer,  they went behind my back and secure the deals with the sellers, after the  contracts expired.