I wouldn’t come up and say I am new in the business but if someone ask me I’ll be honest, that may work for some, but not others, it who cares anyways, you won’t get everyone, you want those that will want to do business with you.I will also reiterate that even if you are brand new and some ask you, turn around to a positive, if they say “but so and so has been in the business 20 years and have done many transactions blah blah blah” you can turn it around “you know mr and mrs seller, that is a great agent with a great track record, but don’t mind my asking, they are doing so many deals a month and so and so a year, how much time do you think they would dedicate to your home?”

I'm feeling most drawn to a buy and hold rental investing strategy and like the idea of the BRRRR strategy in tandem with VA loans, basically refinancing VA loan backed mortgages to conventional loans once there is 20% equity in the home.

If any of the proceeds touch the sellers hand the IRS sees it as taking profit and you will have to pay taxes on that portion.Net proceeds - Is the net sale, minus any Equity in home being sold.I find a lot of investors who want to purchase less than their reinvestment requirements will do the calculation to see what their tax burden would be if they purchase less than they sell.

Positive Home Value Growth ForecastWhile the pace of home value appreciation is expected to moderate, Zillow forecasts a 2.8% increase in Buffalo’s home values for 2025, indicating continued market strength.In summary, Buffalo’s combination of strong job growth, relative affordability, limited housing inventory, strategic location, and positive home value forecasts solidify its status as the nation’s hottest housing market for 2025.

Quote from @Tim Delaney: Quote from @Nilusha Jayasinghe: Quote from @Tim Delaney: It sounds like you would be in a good position to invest some or all of the RE emergency fund in a “safer” index fund.

As others have pointed out, you are actually in a great position!

I will explore the refi avenue to access the equity.

Columbus is definitely a solid area for MF and duplex properties with positive cashflow and appreciation potential.

That being said, it can be the most satisfying and cash-flow-positive business around. 

@Dominic CampeloWith your contracting expertise and business growth, you’re in a fantastic position to enter real estate investing.