You build your deal finding/negotiating muscles and you meet a lot of people. 

This incentivizes me to flex my creative muscles to produce quality and cheap work so I can maximize my return on the labor.I’ll probably do more of these types of deals in the future, personally.

Build credit, just like you are building muscle in the gym. 

There's zero benefit here, they just trying to muscle you and control the situation.Plus a long term lease doesn't even offer you anything in terms of security, they can break it with little consequence.

Also, there could be side effects, including sore arm, low fever, fatigue, and muscle aches — typical side effects for all vaccines.

If you are hungry, teachable and have hustle muscle you just might connect with someone willing to take you under their wing and mentor you.

I'm from Chattanooga TN, but recently moved to the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama.First taste of REI was actually from Lance Edwards dollar book for kindle called "Big Money in Small Apartments".I had a book by Scott Trench called "Set For Life" recommended by a friend in the very beginning which opened the Rabbit Hole I've now fallen into.Currently I'm reading Richest Man In Babylon, Common Sense Investing, and Bigger Pockets Beginners Guide to REI.Great stuff, really excited to hear from people in here and hope to make some solid connections.I have made the noob mistake of talking to Realtors rather than sellers about houses, not knowing what I was doing, but those mistakes have led me to where I am today: checking out my first home, as a future investment.

The paths I could see as useful at this point would be (but not limited to):- Sell your current home and purchase a home that performs excellently as an investment, and then add value to that one (getting your rehab muscle working AND simplifying the funding.- Keep your current home and pull capital out of it through a HELOC. 

I fully agree with what Todd said with regards to needing a lot of muscle on the ground to help deliver that 2% and 3% rule to investors month in and month out.

We enjoy the comforts of home and recently moved my wife's mother in - space makes this arrangement work well.Some people choose to have muscle cars, some choose expensive hobbies, some enjoy their entertainment.