That said, I think the OP was simply stating that being able to strike a good deal with people who follow very distinct cultural traditions in all aspects of their lives -- including business -- requires knowing enough about that culture.

What @Dick Rosen said plus use a scent additive to the paint.

I'm closing on my first rental property this week and will open a new account to keep real estate accounting distinct from my personal accounts.

There is a critical point of distinction to be made about investing and personal living -- you want to live where it is best to live and invest where it is best to invest. 

Material participation plays a role in two distinct aspects of this rule for real estate professionals.

There’s a distinct difference.

Also, My painters tried a scenting additive from Sherwin Williams to the paint they recently used on a rehab I was doing that smelled of cigarette smoke. 

One here in Oakland, another in Los Angeles.We of course cannot predict the future, but in the above case I just "assumed" that rates don't move one iota between now and a month or two from now.Getting the HELOC first, or getting the HELOC concurrently, priced out with the 1st position 30YF being 0.375% higher (holding constant all fees etc) compared to getting the refinance done first, and then getting the HELOC as a distinct separate transaction.

That being said - Nashville is a more typical city, centered around a downtown, broken out into distinct desirable and not so desirable neighborhoods.

@Corbin Wafford I think what can give any (newbie or not) investor a distinct advantage is understanding not just their market but the tiny submarkets in it.