(I have found a 2-1 that I can afford in a conservative 7% appreciation market)I’m also thinking about putting more effort into lead generation beyond just Zillow to expand my options.

Since it is the product of a divorce proceeding the IRS will go along with the divorce decree.

If the inexperienced investor knew how much work, effort, time, analysis, negotiation, organization, capital, and knowledge it takes to successfully find, identify, evaluate, and close on a property that fits the criteria that gurus falsely claim they see 100’s of every day, 99% of them would abandon their real estate dreams” and pursue ostrich farms, mink breeding, or setting up a “down line” to sell condensed cleaning products that their “upline” has an exclusive distributorship on for the southwestern quadrant of Bisbee, Arizona.  

If you want to buy real estate and can't come up with the down payment funds there's two approaches:  (1) save up until you can afford the down payment; or (2) raise LP capital*.

Laminate countertops can hold up pretty well and if damaged, will need to come out of the security deposit - lower cost product, so a larger percent of it gets paid for if damaged. 

Do I buy as low as I can to afford mortgage with 0 down and use 300k for big bear or put a larger down on primary home.

SarahI’m gonna give a slightly different answer than others, figure out where/how you want to live within reason & than figure out a way to use strategies to make that somewhat affordable but using a strategy 1st approach is really risky in this market, because it might take 4-5 years to even break even vs renting, so you want to find a place you’d be happy to live for 4-5 years & than find strategies like house hacking that make that more affordable. 

Agree with @Ian Ippolito 100% based on my experience in fund formation and product development in private alternatives. 

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.

I tell a lot of clients "Just because there is a product, doesn't mean you will like it" lol!