You are in Texas, and it will continue to grow, so you are in a great spot. 

Northern VA is such a great place to invest right now, a great sweet spot in value add properties + availability.

Some areas are still relatively reasonable, but in the more desirable spots, people are still overbidding like crazy.What kind of property are you looking for—a primary home or another investment?

To answer your questions here though:Alternative options - I was going to sell all my stocks and etfs, take out a HELOC, and some credit cards to try to shoestring together enough to the deal without a hard money loan. 

Hiking trails are so crowded that the most popular ones are one-way and you can find yourself waiting a long time to get through some spots on those trails.

You bring up some great questions that I’ve been weighing as I refine my approach.I’m working on a two-pronged strategy where I use the Live-In Flip/Live-In Rent model to capture tax-free appreciation on primary residences, while also building long-term cash flow and equity through BRRRR and Build-to-Rent projects.Your point about scaling constraints is spot on.

@Marty Shawnyour post is really thoughtful and your analysis is spot-on. 

Agreed with you again @Gustavo Delgado lol actually spot on!

You could put most of your funds in the stock market and access them when needed for a HML.

@Aahil B.At 27, you’re in a great spot—owning multiple condos and looking to scale.