Unfortunately, unless you see the underlying financials as well as supporting data for those financials, you do not know whether there actually was cash from operations to pay your distribution or not. 

You hit the nail on the head...that's where the SFH to Duplex conversion gets financially unrealistic.

-------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

A couple of things I like to tell my newbies-Owning a short-term rental property can offer significant financial benefits.

@Ofir R.Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

It’s such a big leap of trust, and unfortunately, there are agents who don’t always live up to what you need in this process.An out-of-state investment can be daunting, and it’s so important to have someone in your corner who truly understands your financial goals and is committed to building a relationship beyond just getting to the closing table.

Setting financial and lifestyle goals and using lessons from your current setup can help.Good luck!

if they are pressuring you like this.PLEASE watch the American Greed Episode on Remmington Financial  .not saying these guys wont or don't fund of course.. but when I do my deals with my banks its common that I pay for the phase one and the appraiser directly..  

Known for his sharp financial expertise, Bessent has introduced an ambitious “3-3-3” economic plan aimed at reshaping the U.S. economy.