Start by talking to a lender to determine how much you can afford (and that you can qualify for a loan). 

Ask your lender about a bridge loan....

I have referred a loan out of state based on NOI, cap rate at purchase, room for increase income and purchase price vs market value.Maybe I didn’t articulate the intent of the post as clearly as I hopedFor anyone who has bought multi family out of state, “what are gives you the warm and fuzzies about a deal”:Obviously not cap rate, but maybe vacancy rate,  Cash on Cash ,GRM, IRR, Unlevered free cash flow, Cities over 250k?

We're in a small town so we ask our bank loan officer who is involved in the community for a CPA reference.

Your Lender My suggestion to find #2 & #4 would be to go to the top of this page and click on AGENTS & LENDERS.There you will be asked your criteria and then after answering a few questions you will be matched with 3-5 agents or loan officers in your area.

If you don’t care about maximizing loan amount then you could start whenever.

Here is some key information:Property recently hit the market and has 2 cash offers alreadyThe seller provided a pre-inspection report, which I shared with 2 different lenders, both think it may fail conventional financing due to potential structural and electrical issues (realtor thinks it could pass conventional)Seller has 100% equity but is behind on other payments (not sure of the urgency money is needed)This is my first attempt at an “investment” property so I’m new to thisI see 3 optionsMove forward with an offer using conventional loan pre-qualification-Not as attractive of an offer to the seller-Possibility that appraiser calls out structural/electrical issues that need to be fixed before closing, effectively causing financing to fail- Best terms and fewest loan fees for meUse a rehab style loan such as ChoiceRenovation-Even less attractive than a conventional offer to seller, but less risk of failed financing if appraiser calls out issues-Slightly worse fees and interest rates compared to conventional-Lenders tell me possibly up to 60-90 days closing in some cases, with red-tape for contractor requirements and draw schedules (sounds like the most hoops to jump through during rehab)Use a hard money lender-Most attractive loan option I can give to seller so I can compete-Much higher fees and interest rate for me-need to refinance into a conventional at the end of rehab (not familiar with seasoning periods but I think this is a factor as well)Which option would you do?

This is one way to manage costs risk.The ways to own the property besides FHA & conventional loans is with private loans, investor DSCR loans (non owner occupied); seller financing, lease options, partnering with others to take the property down..... 

Whether we agree with these items or not, the following are inflationary government policies: stimulus, student debt relief, tariffs, increased child tax credits, limited immigration, and big government deficit spending.

Alternatively, your sibling might use a 1031 exchange to defer taxes by reinvesting in like-kind properties, though this doesn't directly fund a primary residence.Other ideas include leveraging a HELOC on the rental properties for the down payment, taking out a 401(k) loan, structuring an owner-financed agreement, or a lease-to-own arrangement.