And while nothing is foolproof the most consistent method of finding good vendors is relying on OTHER real estate investors that have worked with those vendors.

I did notice end of 2024 to be more active and January to continue that streak compared to 2023 and start of 2024.

It also helps to show them the amount of interest they can get when they add up 30 years of payments (compared to the sales price). 

Happy to share insights and compare notes!

My goal is to offer an affordable monthly payment that competes with renting a comparable property and offers a benefit to paying a bit more to "own". 

I would find a loan officer that does both conventional and FHA renovation loans to compare which has better rates and terms for your situation.

Quote from @Kody Smith: without getting too deep into my finances, what my strategy is...1. take loans to buy properties (leverage)2. fix/flip for day to day cash flow income3. use some of the fix/flip income to buy consistent cash flow through:- business acquisition, - commercial properties (MF and store fronts),I have no intention of doing ALL of the management myself, I will hire management as needed (medium term goal)my expected core role is money provider, evaluating the numbers, making decisions, and connecting with investors, wholesalers, lenders, contractors, and property owners.while I am just on step 2 of the journey, I am looking toward step 3 to stabilize, and not worry about if house prices drop mid project or not (or not worry as much) So to be fair this is more about obtaining and growing a real estate business not simply buying rentals for cashflow.

Looking at this past week's CMI, it's interesting to see the buyer/seller positioning in the SE-ish area compared to the NW-ish area with rates high 6's in JanuaryStill bullish on W/NW future demand due to TSMC factory and other companies (dashboard snapshot below) but time will tell.

There are HELOANS - at that juncture, your best bet is to evaluate what is called the blended rate and compare that to an entire new first lien (cash out).

I was comparing large cities to other large cities.