What is the standard option and earnest money in your area?  

With a family and kids the best house hack is a house and cottage or duplex option.

You can contribute by finding deals or managing properties in exchange for a share of the profits.Lease Options: Control properties without owning them by renting with an option to buy, and potentially sublease for profit.Owner Financing: Buy properties directly from sellers willing to finance, bypassing traditional lenders and often requiring less upfront money.REIGs: Join real estate investment groups to pool funds with others for property investments.For a more hands-off approach, investing in turnkey properties in growing markets with minimal upfront investment would be ideal (like in the Southeast and Midwest of the country).

Using a Whole Life Insurance (WLI) loan avoids banks but accrues interest, potentially reducing policy benefits—compare this with other financing options like HELOC or seller financing.

Hey Brandon,I had good success by getting equity lines on properties to access the cash to invest again. 20% is certainly not essential if you want to go lower there are many lending options for lower down payments, especially if you are willing to house hack!

Easy Street is a good option BUT you need CASH in liquid checking/savings for down payment of 20% and BIG chunk 2-3 times loan amount to buy out of a prepayment penalty.

It's a great option for the right investor at the right time in their lives.  

You also have the option to close these DSCR loans in your LLC as opposed to your personal name.Our team finances just shy of 100 DSCR loans on a monthly basis.

i did this early in my career and it was helpful.another option would be to build your own working group / beginner mastermind of people in your same position. 

It’s a short-term option, typically 12 months, that can provide the flexibility and funding needed for a $150K renovation.Here's why it could be a great fit:-No prepayment penalties — so you can sell or refinance without penalties.