Finding good deals is nearly impossible with the prices, tenant laws, and taxes working against us.Since you’re considering the Midwest, I’d definitely suggest keeping Detroit on your radar.

There are also additional costs of operating and maintaining an LLC, like separate bank accounts, annual report filings, tax filings, etc.2.

However, if you're running your numbers then you'll want to make sure that you're including all the interested paid for the money borrowed from your HELOC as well as the carrying costs including utilities, insurance and property taxes.

So does the time to secure a property for sale, insurance and taxes will accrue.

While this is less tax efficient, it would be less work / less stress.

But the other side of the coin your expenses go way up when your employer is now not paying you any bene's and you have to pay all your own health retirement self employment tax AMT tax etc etc. trying to do this with max leverage is going to be a long slog to replace a 150 to 200k a year job with bene's.

I have an agent sending me properties and I have ran the numbers on dozens of properties, but the crazy high taxes and insurance have killed every deal I've analyzed.  

You will get some cash flow, appreciation, and tax benefits along the way.

Hi Marcus,A Qualified Intermediary cannot provide tax or legal advice otherwise they may be considered an agent of the taxpayer.

I run sum numbers for you please see comments below before refinancing and post refinancing .If I were in your position, I would approach it as follows:Initial Investment Assumptions: Market Value: $360,000 Purchase Price: $360,000 Equity: $0,000Financial Breakdown: Hard Money Loan (LTV 100%): $360,000 Interest Rate: 10% (30-Year Amortization) Monthly Payment: $1,995Upfront Costs: Origination fee (1%): $3,600 Closing Costs (3%): $10,800 Renovation Costs: $10,000 2 Month of Carrying Costs During Renovation: $5,390Total Upfront Required: $29,790Total Capital InvestmentPurchased price $360,000 Upfront Costs $29,790Total: $389,790To make this investment work, you need to rent the whole property for at least $3,165/month, refinance it let say after one year with 5% interest with a traditional mortgage.Year One Rent: Monthly Rent Income: $3,165 Monthly Rent Losses during renovations (2 Months): -$6,330 (-$527/month distributed over 12 months) Total Rent Income: $31,650 per year => $ 2,638 per monthMonthly Expenses: Hard Money Loan Payment (10% Interest): $1,995 / per month interest only Property Tax (Assuming $3,000/year): $250 per month Property Insurance (Assumption): $100 per month Utilities (Hydro, Gas, Water): $292 per month Assuming 0% Vacancy first year Assuming 0 % Repairs & Maintenance first year because unit has been recently renovated Total Monthly Expenses: $2,637Monthly Net Cash Flow: $1Post-Renovation Refinancing Strategy:So far, we’ve purchased the property, completed renovations, and rented it out.Next, you can approach the bank for a refinance to consolidate your initial investment of $29,790 plus your 360k debt into a mortgage.