But let's be real: the cash flow you can currently squeeze out of properties is barely enough to keep the lights on and do some maintenance while you watch equity grow.The worst advice we can give a newbie is to keep hammering "just find a deal where the numbers work" and thereby pushing them into low-income neighborhoods with run-down housing stock and management challenges that most seasoned investor run from.I absolutely encourage young investors to buy real estate, but look at it as a long term INVESTMENT, which means you are putting money in, not taking money out.

@Jessica Carcamo I would recommend going to meetups and meeting investors and others doing what you want to do and offer to bring in some capital and find the deal and partner with a seasoned investor on your first few. 

What: Wyoming Valley REIA MeetingWhen: February 28th at 7:00PMWhere: Grotto Pizza at the Wyoming Valley MallWhy: Whether your new or just interested in real estate investing or a seasoned veteran looking to tell war stories, come join us.

After doing this, I then run the property through Airdna.co and/or Mashvisor.com Both of these tools will give you projections of what type of rental rates, price per night, bookings, occupancy, seasonal variations, etc.

Most DSCR products at the moment have a 6 month seasoning period.

I wanted to reach out and share some exciting news—I've just finalized the purchase of my first rental property, and the closing is scheduled for next week.As I embark on this journey, I'm eager to kickstart the process with some guidance from seasoned investors like yourselves.

Lots of sprinting and short bursts followed by longer periods where there is minimal activity.Leasing season is 2.5 months of non-stop tenant inquiries and requests.

Investigate areas with strong growth potential and rental demand, and take into account regional real estate market trends.Networking: Attend local real estate events, sign up for internet discussion groups, and establish relationships with seasoned investors.

Work with seasoned professional and drill down on all your options. 

DSCR lenders will have different rules on seasoning (i.e the amount of time between when you bought the property vs. when you closed on the refinance) for how much cash you can pull out and whether or not the appraised value, as opposed to the cost basis (purchase price + rehab costs) can be used to determine the loan amount (i.e LTV * appraised value = loan amount).