However, if the deal is average, waiting to house hack could provide a better foundation for your portfolio.

Leveraging equity to purchase a short-term rental (STR) in Tampa Bay can diversify your portfolio and potentially generate strong cash flow, but it also increases your financial risk.

The location you're referencing will likely require substantial rehab capital.There may be some out of state investor who hears NC and throws their money at a portfolio, but this feels like it'd need to be cash transaction.

Quote from @Jinglei Shen: I am building my investment portfolio(duplex) in Ohio Cleveland, a few properties i have analyzed  with net cashflow  around $100 to $290 here is one deal I am analyzingDuplex generates $1590 income /month together,purchase price $123,000rate 7.5%, downpayment 25%5% vacancy, 10% mgm fee, $1400/year insurance,10% capex, 5% maintenance,COC is 8.73%monthly net cash $277this deal meets1% rule, bring in positive cash, my question is it in normal range in Ohio Cleveland market? 

Mentorship starts with relationships, not strangers on the interwebs.Coach Carson is a very reliable resource for building a small, powerful portfolio. 

We had a large portfolio and have sold a lot of it.

If you're not careful, the administrative requirements can trip you up—but when done right, the savings can be well worth the effort.For those of us scaling our portfolios or actively managing real estate deals, the conversation about structure isn’t just theoretical—it directly impacts how we protect our wealth and position ourselves for long-term growth.What I’ve found is that many investors don’t realize how critical their personal credit is in setting up these entities successfully and accessing the funding they need to operate and grow.

About 20% use 15% or 20% conventional (my lender does have a portfolio 15% product currently). 

I love my W2 job and am not looking for replacement income, but I do want to diversify my investment portfolio in the real estate sector while keeping my focus on what I love and do best -- emergency medicine!

This would allow an investor to scale their portfolio with creative financing.