You want to get a countersigned contract now with a closing date in February to lock it up.

If you’re close to $150,000 in AGI, a few ways you can bring that down AGI is by maxing out a 401k traditional ($23k for 2024 tax year), maxing out your HSA ($4,150 for 2024 tax year), and if you have any capital losses from stocks (up to $3k per year), I would encourage you to have great bookkeeping to ensure you’re capturing all of your deductions appropriately on your rental property.

In your property folder I'd include a "Closing Folder" with your closing statement and original home inspection (all your major mechanical pictures and ages are there).

Who is closing your POS? 

I have bought off market deals direct from owners, from wholesalers as both a dual closing and contract assignment, and of course listed deals.From the surface, this sounds a tiny bit shady, but not over the top.  

Were these signed contracts that blew up at the closing table, or just offers that you thought were going to stick and never did?

How close are you to local hospitals? 

Buyer can’t make you sell if you don’t have the funds needed to close.

A refinance later will have extra costs if you maintain FHA, but be cheaper on closing costs converting to conventional later, but conventional loans usually have higher rates.

I just closed on a 3 br in Lee Harvard, nobody even knew about it.