It makes it impossible, impractical, and/or uneconomical to bring new units to market at any scale in these locations. 

I did the entire rehab myself so I have those skills, but I am looking for some help this time around to scale faster. 

Agreed with @Theresa HarrisGet a contractor recommendation (or multiple) from your friend and reach out to GCs yourself to have a couple of quotes and ideas for the renovation project.During the walkthroughs, you can pick the contractor's brain regarding pricing on different material grades, efficient layout ideas, etc.

A DST is a hands-off, institutional grade real estate investment (apartments, self storage, commercial, medical office, etc), that allows the investor the option to diversify into multiple markets and industries around the country.

I have designed, built, and own (very) small scale (500kW) solar farms and in my world, I learned to always look for the word 'exemption' to make sure I'm not wandering in territory that will cripple me financially. 

It’s free and offers great features for rent collection, which makes it perfect for managing a few units and scaling up as you grow.Before Cozy.co was bought out by Apartments.com, it was a good option, but now it has limited features, especially with billing and handling utility changes consistently.Venmo is another option, but for staying organized and efficient, Innago is definitely worth a look.Hope this helps!

(and I have full time job so time is limited)Here’s a breakdown of my investment plan–I would greatly appreciate any guidance and recommendations on making this (or some version of this) happen.PropertyLocationAttributesB-level areas (A-D scale)Safe enough for my girlfriend to feel generally safe walking alone in the eveningWalkable neighborhood / close to transit (car ownership not necessary to live there)Area(s) of interest (not set in stone)Jersey City areaConditionB or C-level (A-D scale)Semi-distressed with potential for minor rehab upgrades ($35k max)DealbreakersFoundational issues / big required rehab due to FHA 203(k) max for streamlined versionSize2-4 units (higher the better)2-4br per unit preferredMax Budget (FHA loan limits)NYCSingle-Family Home: Up to $1,089,300 + 3.5%Duplex: Up to $1,394,775 + 3.5%Triplex: Up to $1,685,850 + 3.5%Quadplex: Up to $2,095,200 + 3.5%Hudson County, NJSingle-Family Home: Up to $1,149,825 + 3.5%Duplex: Up to $1,472,250 + 3.5%Triplex: Up to $1,779,525 + 3.5%Quadplex: Up to $2,211,600 + 3.5%TimelineTitle in-hand latest: Jan-Feb 2025Can potentially buy earlier if I sublet my current apartment in NYC as needed (lease expires Mar 1, 2023)Rehab: 30-45 days max of minor rehab/renoMove-in: on or before Mar 1, 2025 (hard deadline)FinancingLoan type: FHA or FHA Streamlined 203(k) for rehab <=$35kPossible conventional loan if I seek investment from family/friendsApproval statusGoal is to get pre-approved now in advance for credibilityMy statsEmployment: Full-time at large bankIncome: low-mid 6 figuresAssets: low-mid 6 figures (including 401(k))Credit score: 800DTI: 2.5% (student loan)Thank you in advance for your support.

The tenant is not as much focused on rent when they are strong regional to national in nature but the best spot they believe drives the most sales and profit annually.It's the lesser quality smaller tenants that are more sensitive to rents because their model is not often proven with scale or over time as much.So you have to know what you are buying and what to do with it.I buy same stuff for cash but I am the GP on the syndications and my LP's put in minimum 200k per deal as accredited investors.To convert the bank to medical would be very expensive.

On the flip side, having more choice in location with an existing product could be advantageous to both his personal life and the earnings potential; add in the second unit having the potential of being a STR/MTR and location becomes even more important.The contract/permit side CAN be challenging location by location; assuming he's working with someone who knows what they're doing, Raleigh makes it easier to get permits for these larger "small scale" projects than Durham.

The vanity in my own bath is a higher grade cab with thermofoil, and the doors looks great but the painted cabinets are yellowed.