I've been in your shoes. 

I’ve gone from your shoes (figuring out what to buy for my first property in or around Philly), to now 16 properties since I began!

I'm 29, but was in your shoes not too long ago.

If you were once in my shoes, what did you do to help PM's / investors / realtors / contractors / lenders to get on their radar?

This is a scary path to go down for sure, trust me I’ve been in your shoes (and kind of still am).

I love learning and this seems like one of the best way to learn from those of you that have already been in my shoes and walked the walk!

If I were in your shoes, I would try to negotiate an extra window, call it 18 months, after the 5 years, where you pay a higher interest rate on the money, but have more time to refi if the market has turned against you.

@Frank Agyeman-Duah My wife and I would, were we in your shoes, look at this moment in two ways.First, the added residents beyond the promised two months, would be viewed as a potential revenue source. 

I was in your shoes as well, although didn't make quite as much ;) Through real estate, I was able to leave my W-2 last September and go full-time into the RE world.

However, if I was on your shoes, talk to your lender...