If you can’t do a 1031 to a non-income tax state, figure out a year when you will have lower income and tax rates ar as low as possible.

So, for a $2,500 rent with a 3x income rule, you’d expect their combined gross income to be $7,500/month.As for utilities being included in the rent, some landlords in NYC do lower the income requirement slightly (e.g., to 2.5x or 2.75x) since tenants won’t have additional out-of-pocket utility costs.

She's also likely to be causing your tenant in the lower unit to have a higher heating bill.

I'd focus on deciding what you want to do (flip-high risk, but potentially high return...or large loss; short term rental-more work, but higher return than long term rental; long term rental-less work than the other two, but lower return).Once you've decided which you want to do, then focus on getting the best house to meet your goal. 

But if you're comfortable with rougher areas, then you can definitely find properties at lower prices.

A little about me for context: I live in a very expensive market in Rye,NY. 

.$300k mortgage at 7.25% (30-year): $2,046$300k mortgage at 7.6% (40-year): $1,996Technically, it lowers the monthly, but not by much once factoring in the rate adjustment.

In-person interactions are great for building trust with potential investors.Real Estate Platforms:BiggerPockets: A robust platform for connecting with private lenders and investors.Fund That Flip, PeerStreet, Groundfloor: Online platforms connecting investors with real estate projects.Social Media Groups: Facebook and LinkedIn groups dedicated to real estate investing often have private investors or lenders looking to connect.Personal Network: Often overlooked, but friends, family, and colleagues may know individuals interested in investing.Private Money Brokers: If you're working on wholesaling deals, you may find brokers who have established relationships with private money lenders.Real Estate Agents: Some agents have connections with private investors, especially those focused on investment properties.For your 50% LTV, it's good to approach investors who may be interested in lower-risk, high-equity deals.

There isn't enough cash flow in these deals to pay the mortgage, monthly expenses and the HELOC that I'm trying to leverage against.

@Marc Zak Using an LLC for each property provides strong liability protection by isolating risks to individual assets, with income and expenses flowing through to your personal taxes on Schedule E.