Hello! I live in a suburb of Indy with my wife and 3 teenage kids. We just jumped in the game in April when we bought our first STR in Sevierville, TN. Went big (5BR) and spent more than we wanted but so far so good (...

Save and wait unless you can find a killer seller financed deal.And by relative willing to lend  you $2000 - you will want to ensure it is a gift (a true one).There is a difference between lend and gift and it can have a meaningful impact on if those funds are valid for financing sake.

If I stuck with the original mindset, it would have taken me at least 10-15 years of investing and still working W2 to achieve a meaningful return that I could live on.

However if I do a BRRRR I can achieve infinite return by extracting all of my investment.

Here’s the plan I’ve come up with, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on its feasibility, potential risks, and any improvements you might suggest.The Plan1.Pay Off Mortgage: I currently have $170K left on my mortgage, and my goal is to aggressively pay it off in the next 1.5 years.2.Establish Emergency Fund: Before making any big moves, I’ll set aside 6-12 months’ worth of expenses as an emergency fund.3.Extract Equity: Once the mortgage is paid off, I’ll pull out the equity from the property.4.First Flip: Using the extracted equity, I’ll purchase another house, fix it up, and sell it for a profit.5.Reinvest Flip Profits: Instead of buying another property immediately, I’ll use the profits from the flip to renovate the original property, aiming to increase its rental income and appraisal value.6.Reappraise and Extract Equity Again: After renovating, I’ll get the original property reappraised and extract additional equity based on its increased value.7.Purchase Rental Properties: With the additional equity, I’ll start purchasing rental properties that offer positive cash flow and have growth potential.8.Leverage Equity Strategically: I’ll use equity from the original property and any new properties while maintaining a healthy loan-to-value ratio (LTV), ideally around 70-75%.9.Build Rental Portfolio: I’ll focus on acquiring a mix of property types (e.g., single-family homes, multi-family units) to diversify my investments.10.Focus on Cash Flow: I’ll prioritize properties that generate consistent positive cash flow, ensuring that rental income covers all expenses, including mortgage payments, maintenance, and management fees.11.Long-Term Hold: I’ll hold properties long-term to benefit from appreciation and tax advantages.

Experienced, active RE investors can do well, but my issue is that if I extract the added value the property has negative cash flow). 

Same with the financing of the notes / portfolio when interest rates go back down and you wanna extract equity for a non-taxing event.Monetize your detailed nature.  

The gurus never tell you that searching through the smoke and the mirrors in the game, extending yourself very uncomfortably into the unknown, being willing to invest and possibly waste your time searching for answers, actually building meaningful relationships, all of that's is a very big part, if not the biggest part, of winning in real estate.When Hannibal was told it was impossible to get his elephants over the Alps to invade Roman territory from the north, he responded with the following:"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam" I WILL FIND A WAY OR MAKE ONE.That's the attitude we need here.

Figure out what is a meaningful return to you.

That said, there's basically zero chance of finding it for meaningfully less than the price you mentioned.