We likely need to look for local lender that is keeping loan in house.  

If you want to find out how much equity you have to see if that’s an option for you, connect with a real estate agent and ask for a professional equity assessment report (PEAR).Who knows, you may find out you have enough equity to buy your next place outright– and with today’s mortgage rates, not having to take out a home loan is pretty incredible.

@Ahshar Sylvestre how are you finding code violations in combination with absentee?

Focus on the big-ticket items and estimate costs.Financing: Whether it's private money, hard money loans, or a traditional lender, make sure your financing is lined up.

Focus on one task at a time, like getting pre-approved for a loan or analyzing a few deals in your target area.

Nathan I think this is true if your just talking about rental props for landlording.. the last 2 to 3 years have been the best years of my career.. building new builds and Loaning our funds.

If you have money to burn, and actually have a successful investment/loan with this company, let us know!

For example you'd buy a 200k property for 100k, spend 50k to rehab and then get it appraised for 200k and pull a loan for 150k.

somewhere in the price range of 50k-100k, because thats  what I can put a 25% down payment on.It sucks not being able to take advantage of an FHA loan for my first home purchase, but I don’t see myself moving soon because my entire family lives in LA. 

Negotiate seller concessions, consider affordable markets, and focus on long-term equity growth through appreciation and loan paydown.