Hello Greg, welcome to Bigger Pockets, I have found that the clients I work with that came from BP are the most successful.

And you have to remember too, NYC is not the norm in the country when you are reading through Bigger Pockets. 

Oh by the way, up until i started selling, i hadn't paid income taxes on any of the rental profits for almost 14 years and even after I started selling, my carry forward losses covered everything up until last year when they finall ran out.If you buy right, sfh rentals are the best long term investment you will ever make.

Starting with the duplex could set you up with cash flow and real estate know-how to take on bigger projects down the line.

If we would have a bigger down payment I think it would be super easy to just go through their network of realtors as well but it is what makes us hesitate the most.

Hey everybody, I am new to the bigger pockets forums so I just wanted to introduce myself.

Samantha Welcome to Bigger Pockets!!

@Sarah Taylor From a tax perspective, you would lose the STR tax benefit if you expect paper losses from the property.

the book on Flipping Houses by J Scott and published by Bigger Pockets is an EXCELLENT resource! 

Sell, STR, partner on bigger deal, etc?