It's a more affordable market and lower property taxes, so you may actually have a chance to cash flow.

Certainly more areas with lower property taxes.

Putting 10%+ down with a different lender and getting lower points and interest is 100% better.

That’s why you get a discounted interest rate and a lower downpayment, because owne occupant properties are low risk. 

(I know, nothing is certain but just hypothetically) and all cash out loans are not created equal. if you have a lot of equity you can borrow up to 60% with the lowest rate possible, which would be close to a half point lower then borrowing up to 75% loan to value. 

Quote from @Melanie Baldridge: Why I like investing in real estate more than 401(k)s.Both offer tax deferrals, but here's the difference:If you're making pre-tax contributions to your 401(k), then withdrawals = ordinary income tax.With real estate gains, you're paying capital gains tax (which is typically lower).Plus, RE investors get:1.

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I'd recommend starting with the lower hanging fruit than a large basement reno - if your comps are close but don't quite get you to your number.Finishing the basement (with proper egress) could push you over the top, but confirm with an appraiser first to ensure it counts.

If they have a good interest rate it might be worth looking to see if you could assume their loan to take advantage of the lower rate.  

Quote from @Devin James: Gross Margin is an important calculation for developers/builders.Gross Margin = Gross Profit / RevenueWe shoot for a 20% gross margin on our New Construction HomesReal #’s:Home Sales Price: $374KClosing Cost: $18,700Cost of Construction: $258KLand Cost: $30KGross Profit = $67K$67K/$374K = 17.9% Gross MarginCame slightly short of our goal of 20%Homes Values and Build Costs are constantly fluctuatingI wish we had a crystal ball build larger homes. average new build in our market is 2200 square feet, 4 beds, 3 baths, 2 car garage and sells for 515k. construction costs lower if design is good and find the median or average home sale price and push that up. my guess is you built too small. 347k is cheap. we target 429-479k price range in columbus ohio for single family homes and also only purchase close to urban core where premiums are 20% higher and we build smaller like 1500 sq ft where price per square foot goes up.