I also found that being at "market" rents it takes longer to rent therefore missing out on a month or two of income negating the ROI on improvements.

After years of focusing on my career and building financial stability, I’m ready to dive into real estate investing and start creating passive income and long-term wealth.My short-term goal is to purchase my first duplex or single family rental. 

I'm a financial planner by profession so you'd think the default answer is, "heck yeah, always hire a planner!"  

Experts, including Redfin, predict further improvements in affordability by 2025.The decline in rents is being driven by:1.

Contrary to most business lending, the REI industry has a lot of "non-bank" lenders that provide attractive loans that can lower your cost of capital and improve your profit/cash flow. 

However, they approach financial health from different angles.The 50% Rule is a quick estimate that suggests operating expenses (excluding mortgage principal and interest) will roughly equal 50% of the property's gross income.The DSCR is a more precise calculation (Net Operating Income / Total Debt Service) that determines if a property generates enough income to cover its debt obligations.Deal example:- Class C middle class neighborhood- 4bd / 2ba single family house- ARV: 190k- Purchase: 105k- Rehab: 35k- Market rent: $1,400-1,525- Section 8: $1,475- Property manager: 10%- Taxes: 125 month- Insurance $1250 yr- HOA: $55 month- purchased and rehabbed with all cash.

Hey all,My name is Tony, I'm 35, just started actively pursuing financial independence and have been really hammering away at learning everything I can.

I do however think as things clean up systematically, cashflow will improve and the benefits of low capX exposure in near term and appreciation will work out.

I'll add a few more things that can have a huge financial impact: required reserves, LTC (loan to cost), application or other upfront fees, and prepayment penalties.As a fellow flipper, I think it's important to have reserves, but they shouldn't be required as part of your funding.

Co-living is how I went from renting a room, Delivering Dominos, no savings, and not being able to qualify for a loan to financial freedom & a $2M net worth in 15 months.