How big of a component it is to your plans will depend on the market.Here on the east coast of the country - with exceptions for the HRM - we are not seeing meteoric market appreciation, so you are neither going to see a huge benefit, nor risk, in crystallizing any gain in your personal residence when you put it into service as a rental.As an example.

My name is David Beltz, and I am starting my real estate investing journey with my girlfriend, Crystal.

Welcome Crystal!

You don't know, unless you have a crystal ball.2.

Anyone who has been on these forums for any amount of time will see numerous threads exactly like this one, though the specific type of service/good provider varies (sometimes it's a lender, sometimes a GC ghosting them, etc, but it's pretty crystal clear that "out of staters" don't always get the best service levels overall).

My crystal ball is broken right now so I can't tell you when the correction will be here, but I am concern with the upcoming elections next year.  

Hey @Crystal Jones - what @John Thedford suggests is a good start.

@Crystal Smith I've heard that I may be able to speed things up a bit by getting a demo permit first, while architect works on drawings that will ultimately be submitted with the building permit application.

Less snow than Erie, but temps can drop well below 0° for days or weeks at a time.I find the single most important step to take during periods of subzero weather is daily, crystal clear communication with tenants.

@Joseph Gaffney if your crystal ball tells you when the market is going to change please update us!