Welcome to Bigger Pockets and love see local folks getting into real estate investing!

Quote from @Shayan Sameer: Quote from @Zachary Deal: As several folks have mentioned leveraging equity in current property you owned is a great tool but still comes with the some of risks as you had before using hard money debt as there is never a guarantee your new project will be a success (there will always be risks with real estate investing).Leveraging your investment property would probably be the first step I would take. 

If a state requires a license you need a license IN THAT STATE.

I’ve been around real estate for decades, and I read in The Economist once that in lively markets like Charlotte, folks will pay a premium for a comfortable room if you’re near major employers.A friend of mine tried something similar out in Austin a while back.. he’d inherited a 4-bedroom property and split it into individual room rentals.

.🚫 You can rely on seller financing to get deals done.A good number of the folks who reached out needed 30% or more seller financing to close.

Sounds like a cool opportunity and it also sounds like a lot of folks have some good ideas/approaches.

Sometimes folks overlook how real prce apprecation can be impacted by having acreage that’s not typical in suburban areas.In Phoenix, where I’m based, a lot of us collaborate with local probate attorneys who know about hidden opportunities that never see the open market.

I think partially because a lot of folks don’t even check it.If you’re interested in getting more off market deals I would suggest starting relationships with brokers that sell the types of properties you’re interested in.

In general, DSCR loans will require the property to be either leased or at least "Rent Ready". 

Now, that meetup is in South County, on the MO side, but brings in folks from Belleville, Fairview, Collinsville, Cahokia, and all over the St Louis area.Now, there is a monthly GRID meetup in Edwardsville that brings in folks from the metro-east, as well.Generally, going to any real estate meetups in the St Louis area will find you someone who also invests in Belleville.I also invest in Cahokia, John.