We gave him an old lease that said he didn't have to pay water (we newly split the utilities in the unit) and he noticed we charged him for water and then we refunded him (although he continued to send us pics of his napkin math that says we didn't refund him enough).   

I want to utilize my arbitrage to obviously use for my personal life but also to create a hefty fund for investment properties later on the line. 

Building a network here can open doors to partnerships, mentorships, and local insights.3.Explore the Blogs and Podcasts: BiggerPockets has tons of content—blogs, podcasts, webinars—that cover everything from beginner strategies to advanced investment tactics.4.Utilize the Deal Analysis Tools: If you’re considering an investment, the deal analysis calculators are invaluable for running numbers and understanding potential returns.5.Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve, whether it’s learning a specific strategy or connecting with certain types of investors.

@Austin TessMany lenders have a seasoning period (typically 6-12 months) before you can refinance.

Or find a property that is under-utilized or has below market rents.Otherwise, you could also do the OPPOSITE of the great advice from @Jonathan Greene and buy a property with multi-bed units or live in the larger unit and rent out the smaller unit - while getting a roommate(s).

Make sure everyone knows a cleaning schedule, expectation for common areas, how are you splitting utilities, guest policy, etc. 

Rates can be very similar to those of conventional financing (Fannie/Freddie - full doc loans that you will need to prove income to get), but typically a little higher than conventional financing. 2nd - Networking and partnerships! 

.: I'll have to look into this I typically contribute the max to a IRA then do a backdoor conversion to a Roth IRA.

At least in my area, it's cheaper to own a condo with the HOA dues than it is to pay for all the utilities, snow removal, waste management, maintenance, etc, that goes along with an SFR.

For us we all typically use 0% business credit cards to furnish the property which can amount to $40-$60k+ depending on how crazy you go.