Quote from @Viji Venkatachalam: Trust is important in this scenario .

If it costs you $20k to do a refi right now is that worth it on the payment difference?

Start with your primary, rent out any spare bedrooms "house hack"Use that to practice upgrades, kitchen, bathroom, curb appeal... etcNow you have experience as a landlord and flipper, use that to buy a distressed propertyAdd 40% equity to the property through home makeover, refinance into a low cost mortgageNow you are cashflowing a healthy margin on a second property, use that to build equity over time, cashout later and buy your duplex/quad.If it's going to take you 10 years to save up a down payment for a small apartment building, yeah it makes more sense to start growing your portfolio with cheap SFR flips instead.Every market is different, every borrower is different, every property is different, it would be ill-advised to recommend anything without recognizing the individual's nuanced goals and objectives with their next acquisition.

If each property costs $250,000 and the only acquisition cost is a 25% down payment, how much savings would you need?

The fact that our current rate is only 3% doesn't help the refi situation, as we probably would not be able to afford (or would at least struggle to afford) the payment on the new mortgage with the higher rate and principal.I think the best way to max cash flow would be with a small multifamily that needs moderate rehab.

The analysis is targeted to small time DIY landlords with 1-5 properties with minimum requirements to be able to do the following tasks online:  Listing/Syndication, Applications, Screenings, Leases with eSignature, Payment Customization (i.e.

But 3) Try multifamily specific brokers, crexi and loopnet, although 2-4 units maybe scarce. 4) A home equity line of credit is a good source of funds however it will generally make your overall monthly payments higher, so unless a deal is very solidly cashflowing, a HELOC may put you into negative cashflow. 7) Typically electric/gas are paid by the tenant - however this isn't true across the board. 

The key is to have a trusted GC and property source.

The down payment to acquire this sub to is $25,000. so you give them $25k, you take over a $70k mortgage and they are going to pay $165k in a few years - if you will not do this deal send it to me I will do it. 

@Drew Sygit, Last November Fannie Mae began accepting 5% down payments for owner-occupied 2-, 3-, and 4-unit homes.