For a 2 unit, an appraiser will rely on comparable sales, but an investor looking for cash-flow may care more about income.

It's going to be tough to buy a property without steady W2 income.  8k is a good start, but you might need to keep saving.  

STR income: $130K/year.

I've never heard of a lender that wouldn't count Section 8 payments as income.

@Stan MendozaRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

•Verifying the buyer’s ability to repay (documenting their income is key).

I then did some wholesaling, land flipping, did some more buying and am now just doing lending to build up active income.

In Texas, there’s no state income tax on rental income, but LLCs have formation and annual fees.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

@Ming HuangRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

I own a small portfolio that brings enough income for me not to have a w-2 income.