I would not advise you to pursue a house hack that you cannot afford without a tenant, due to the nature that it will certainly take time and mistakes for your first rental to stabilize. 

But generally speaking, you can give referrals right here on BP to lenders like @Landon Hoon or @Michael Barbari - they appreciate these shoutouts as do the investors looking for rock star lenders and property managers like Landmark!

Don't get hung up on the initial cost – focus on value, and you'll be on your way to building a rock-solid real estate portfolio.Let's Chat!

I have a small background in construction -- I used to do small jobs like tear up carpet or help cut or demolish sheet rock for my local church -- so I'd like to try serving as my own general contractor.

Also important to understand who the natural tenant is for the commercial space.

This time it's the tub that's rocking in the master bathroom on the second floor.

You can usually make money in rental homes in just about any decent-sized city in the Southeast: Birmingham, Alabama; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; Atlanta, I could go on.

It's just the nature of this real estate business.

I'm getting concerned because I know from all my BP reading/learning that expected PM rates vary from 5%-10%, so I was preparing to pay on the upper end of that to make sure I find a "Rock Star" PM (as BP books would emphasize doing).

Overstating the profitability of this endeavor by grossly understating the competitive nature of the bidding, the sophistication of some of the players as to research capabilities, etc.5.