I borrowed $110K from a private lender for the purchase and self funded the repair of the offices. 3 months later, I rented 6,000 sq.ft. of office space to a corporation for $21,000/month + utilities for 5 years with another 5 year option.

 If you start selling houses in Virginia now 2.5 years from now your business would be humming along.

70K and 50K is not a ton of equity to start solely on.

If they start allowing high rises by the beach outside of the all-inclusive hotels like they do right now, that could be a big mistake.

I just started researching when I saw you post. 

It's not perfect but it's a start and something for you both to look forward to as you continue building your life together.Some other questions to consider are:1.

To help newer investors get started and learn from other likeminded professionals. 

Every dollar  matters when you're starting out. 

The lessons you learned the hard way in 2008 will be invaluable now, and it’s great that you’re aiming to stay small-scale and within your comfort zone of Sacramento, which gives you an advantage of knowledge in that market.Given your experience, I'd say start by focusing on three key areas to build confidence and minimize risks:Budget Control: Over-renovating was one of the big mistakes you mentioned.

I’d love your insights on how best to utilize my LLC in this process.