@Vanessa Lule I think your biggest hurdle is getting someone over the barrier that you have limited investing and life experiences.

He is a liar, in over his head, does not work for you but has the attitude that you work for him.

This means a new buyer must either already have an account, or must start one and the property starts over with no reviews, etc. 

@Tom HallAt 7% if you can I would pay it down as investing it net after tax gains may not get you the 7% you are paying - so it’s less riskDownside is you lose liquidity of that money as it’s tied in your propertyIf rates come down in future you can refinance and even take some of the cash out.Regarding your question are rates coming down, a lot of factors come into play but right now it does not appear there will be significant changes to rates over next 3-6 months.

That is the thing that will eventually get you over the hump, not talking to realtors who, for the most part, don't know anything about working with investors and have heard the "once I get this first property, I am going to keep going" dialogue a million times.If you want to market yourself, the best thing to do is to walk a five-block radius that you really want to buy in.

From my experience, success in real estate investing starts with clearly defining your goals and continuously educating yourself through podcasts, books, forums, and courses.

However, I haven't had a single application submitted for over two weeks.

Meaning you may be able to do some cosmetic or smaller renovations like bathrooms or kitchens in your duplex when the tenants turn over and those smaller investments can demand higher rents, so in the longterm you may have more cashflow from the duplex to help fund a future investment in another property while you wait for market conditions to change.

So many scammers in Cleveland over the years.

Hi John,Not sure where you are located but if in Austin, I too may USAF retired and probably could give you some pointers over coffee or lunch.