Nonetheless, I highly recommend just sucking it up and moving into a property with a VA loan.

@CraigIf you have two offers with that high of down payment already you must be living right!

Talk about aiming high, right?

@Mattin Hosh first, most cities in Metro Detroit have some type of rental property inspection every 2-3 years.It's not really a big deal 99% of the time - especially for owners who are NOT slumlords:)Also, a quick Google search will show that several states/cities are passing/considering similar legislation.One of the biggest mistakes we see newer investors making is NOT properly understanding Neighborhood/Property/Tenant Classes and naively assuming that any rental they buy will deliver Class A results.Read our copy & paste thoughts below and DM us if you'd like to dicuss more about the Detroit market:)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

And DIY repairs are not recommended for other reasons: it will take you much longer to complete, depriving you of rental income, and you run a high risk of your wife becoming your ex-wife.Same risk exists if you push your wife into becoming a Realtor or some other real estate activity just for the sake of tax benefits.

How I would go about it is bring a deal to someone ( a friend or colleague) that I knew had money, offer them the terms I have in mind and continue until I find one.

Years ago it was finding quality tenants.

Hi Duane, my firm offers a Premier-approval product and can fund multiple deals at a time. 

Besides that, just wanted to chime in real quick - I'd highly check in with a CPA and I am no tax expert, so wanted to preference that.

Quote from @Jed Butikofer: Unfortunately, it takes money to make money.With high prices and high mortgage rates, cash flow is difficult to find and we may not see a return to the 2018 market for a while.