My friend has advised me to get gap funding for the down payment but Im unsure how that plays into the hard money lender?

I know you said C-class, but if you are investing from out of state, my advice is to have a very strong property manager in place and advising you before you purchase the asset.

Anyone able to advise me on the process of buying a preforeclosure property in CA or point me to a website that describes the entire process?

During this first phone call I was told by Edward Losloso that I could pay $149 (might be off a little) to schedule a consult with an adviser who could figure out the specific plan for me and then at that point they would have more specifics on price.

So i was looking for people that know the area well and that have invested in the area to give any advise on the good areas and the bad ones, rental prices, type of tenants in this area you name it....everything and any advice would be very appreciated!!!!

They advise and coach each other with just facilitation by myself and a few others.

The lender I spoke with in the new area said our DTI is the biggest issue, and that selling one of the properties would solve that problem, but selling one house hack for another of a similar price/cash flow isn't something I want to do.Still fairly new to REI so any and all advise is greatly appreciated.

Anyone had any experiences/recommendations/advises in this regard?

Never one to kick a down dog, but for future investments, I would strongly advise against ever owning an investment property in an HOA neighborhood, especially an STR.

After speaking with a local realtor and lender for quite some time to just get some information, they advised me that we are currently in a "buyers market" compared to a "sellers market."