Join local real estate groups, attend seminars, and participate in online forums like BiggerPockets to connect with other investors, lenders, and professionals in the field.## Additional Resources- Check out the BiggerPockets podcasts and webinars for more insights on these strategies.- Read books like "What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow" by Frank Gallinelli to deepen your understanding of real estate investing.- Use local real estate agents who are familiar with investment properties to help you find the right deals.You're taking the right steps by seeking knowledge and networking.

Purchase price: $450,000 Cash invested: $450,000 Centrally located near Shopping, Entertainment, Transportation and much more.

The rates beat hard money and it's all online.  

@Roberta Allen - i purchased with the upgrades.

We’re fortunate to have an above-average income and live well below our means.This summer, we’ll be moving to Detroit (PCSing in August), and we’ve saved about $120,000 to invest in addition to having funds set aside for the home we’ll purchase in Detroit.The reason I’m posting is that I’m struggling to decide how to best allocate the $120k.

Was that purchase money, rate and term refi, or cash out refi?

If you decide to revisit STRs, you might want to explore properties where you can project expenses independently, such as using local STR forums or online tools to estimate maintenance, management, and occupancy costs.For networking and strategy-building, you might find local meetups or groups beneficial.

Can you easily find cash purchases close to the property and things like that?

you can find all the info online"...it's like, no sh*t you can...all the information ever is online!

They also didn't get hit with capital gains on the entire purchase price, which enables them to keep more of their money.