If you walked into a bank, your pre-approval would likely never qualify for a house hack duplex.Did they count 75% of the expected rent towards your DTI? 

Our strongest case is that our bank appraisal says it should be much lower.

@Kayla Elliott  Hi Kayla - this was a commercial mortgage loan with a local bank, that held it "in house" after it was issued. 

You put $287k in the bank and earn $14k/yr.

@Melanie AlzugrayInvesting in a resort you and your family enjoy is a fantastic approach.

Traditional bank loans can be slow and have strict requirements, while hard money and private lending seem to offer more flexibility.For those who’ve secured funding before, what’s been your experience?

If you're focusing on rural properties, sometimes local community banks or credit unions are open to these types of deals.

I currently work with investors who are looking to begin their portfolio in turn-key real estate and manage for them on the back end so they can still enjoy their everyday lives while having a resident in place paying down their loans. 

I am an investor in Cincinnati (not an agent/realtor), a native Cincinnatian and enjoy talking with anyone interested in the area.

There are also additional costs of operating and maintaining an LLC, like separate bank accounts, annual report filings, tax filings, etc.2.