For a while I looked into medium size deals like 30-50 units in class B neighborhoods, but ultimately could not negotiate a deal to the point where it would have made financial sense.

Ultimately I'd ask your CPA.

Most propane suppliers will offer a discount if you purchase your own tanks outright, I save around $1.00 per gallon.

It's just unfortunate you were not notified to get the plumbers out sooner or the PM did not communicate not to leave the faucets off but ultimately if they were left off you likely would have had pressure built up and pipes burst (especially if they lines weren't all PEX) so the root issue of not having heating water lines still was the issue.

I saved up from my W2.

I currently do not have enough funds to fund a down payment and am trying to find the most efficient way to save.

Budget-Conscious, ROI-Focused – A great designer knows where to splurge and where to save.

But it’s also saving me taxes. :-))But yes, I could take a $200k or $300k tax free loan every year on the appreciation if I couldn’t manage to make ends meet at $20k/mo.

That shows real estate can be possible for anyone; in my opinion, I know everyone has unique and challenging situations, but in principle, anyone who can follow some basic budget fundamentals can save up enough for a down payment.Grateful BiggerPockets continues to bring more people into the industry!

These were investments, the value of the assest are there, its the liquid that ran short and had to resort to credit cards to fix up the propertyYou spent $50k from savings, borrowed $50k from a 401k, and are paying it back over five years at around 7.5% interest, then borrowed another $40k from credit cards and are paying that back at around 8% interest, maybe more.