I am planning to get into the TN real estate market as my first investment and am looking for some information.In particular: Areas to steer clear of, property management fees, typical cosmetic rehab costs, etc.My strategy is to put large down payments on 2 properties (relative to housing prices) to help pay for my living in NY while still gaining appreciation in a growing real estate market.

Which of these ideas would you try first to grow your deal flow or funding network?

See if you can get a copy of The Millionnaire Real Estate Investor by Keller.The Slight Edge and Atomic Habits too.Awesome board with many smart people having own suggestions and ideas to grow wealth!!

Going to the events page above and seeing who is hosting meetups along with connecting with people at these meetups is a great way to grow your network of people within a small 25-50 mile radius.

I’ve bought some houses with 0% interest for a year credit cards and a few with consumer lines of credit from banks.

Great tools that get updated regularly.I am on the lending side of things and would be happy to hop on a call with you anytime to discuss financial strategies and help answer any questions you may have about nearly any loan product available to help you on your journey, even if they are not products my capital partners offer.We are all here to help you learn and grow.

Population is growing, NFL Draft was the BEST EVER attended, prices are up over 20% last year, etc.

We are mainly looking to continue growing our portfolio and we are happy to bring on investors who's real estate plans line up with ours.From what I've gathered by listening to all of the Bigger Pockets podcast shows it seems like there are many people out there looking to get in to acquiring  value-add properties but may not have the experience or might be weary of contractors.

I’m also passionate about graphic design and am seeking opportunities to grow my career in that field while pursuing my real estate goals. 

@Sean Gallagher not a sales pitch, but this is what we provide for investors in Metro Detroit:)Understand that if you hire the latest & greatest PMC, many grow using poorly trained VA's. - Your portfolio will suffer:(You want a PMC that has great systems in place, including a great portal where you can keep tabs on eveything.You will also need to manage your PMC on a regular basis.