How can any of these answers even help you if we don't know where you live, what your goals are, how much capital you have saved, what you earn, what your why is, and like a hundred other things.If you want a tip that will really help you it would be to provide some background first and then ask a tighter question based on what you have read about or listened to on podcasts.

With a half point rate reduction by the Fed, our HELOC rate was reduced by the same amount, and we've begun the refinance process.

Also, there are tax benefits that you cannot get with most investments, you can borrow 80% of value, while it still earns a return.

They are pretty involved in making sure the property is updated and functional which ends up reducing the amount of $ offered, or if the property needs maintenance repairs Flock might not offer on it at all.

In fact, now may be the best time of the year to buy properties due to reduced buyer competition and seller motivation (those selling now are probably committed.)

The cash flow you earn from rentals will likely be best spent on maintenance, unexpected expenses, and reinvesting in future opportunities.

As a fellow Northerner, I tend to buy in the Southern half of the US for 2 reasons:1) you get much higher year-round occupancy rates in the South & it’s simply tough to earn a good ROI in the North if your place sits vacant for a big chunk of the year2) Culturally, the Southern half of the US seems to be a lot more accepting of STRs regulation-wise.

By reducing your tax burden of your W2 while also reaping the benefit of the short term rental cash flow, you may be able to free up more capital to scale more quickly.

Is there any way of reducing closing costs? 

The longer the term, the the borrower's ability to pay and the more stable the payment history, the lower you can price the earned interest rate on the note.