(End)Unfortunately, HOAs are often ran by individuals who are not the most knowledgeable on regulations, accounting practices, and more - and property managers do not want to intervene for fear of losing the contract. 

Quote from @Gregory Wilson: A few things there, Brendan.First, an LLC with you as a member and your (wife, son, pal, etc.) partner as a 1% member will file a Form 1065 which is about one tenth as likely to be audited by the IRS as a Form 1040 with a Schedule E rental activity (which I presume you will attempt to show is an active business).Second, you want an LLC because when your local Alabama handyman drives his girlfriend's uninsured truck into a van load of U of A medical school interns on I-22 when he goes  to get some shingles for your roof, on your business, you don't lose everything you have or ever will have to an uninsured claim. 

I've never had to use hard money before, so I am not sure what type of conditions are reasonable.

But even to this day the money is always the winner not me.. thats how you raise significant capital ..

Several economic factors are contributing to this shift:Overbuilding: Some areas of Charlotte have seen significant overdevelopment, leading to an oversupply of rental units.Tighter Money: Rising interest rates and economic uncertainty have made tenants more cautious with their spending.Tenant Behavior: Many responsible renters are choosing to stay put rather than take on the cost and hassle of moving.What Does This Mean for Landlords?

Meaning if the borrower stops making their payments the investor can lose all of their investment.

Licensing takes time, effort and money.

And this is a biggee wading through the fake lenders or the Joker brokers that tell you what you want to hear  but cant get the deals funded and you lose the deal and a lot of money.3. with actual PML  private people  usually have very limited funds so cant scale with them.. they can have a life event and just stop doing loans all together..

You are LOSING money because you didn't even raise rents to cover those increases!

I would, If in this position, take the equity in the form of a HELOC and purchase a cash flowing asset that would not only pay for itself but pay for the cost of the money while putting cash into my bank account each month.