I'm a full time agent and investor in the area that works a ton with VA buyers and i LOVE helping people house hack, it is definitely my favorite strategy and my passion helping people do it.

Realistically if you have around $18,000-$22,000 liquid per house and its at least drawing even you eliminate the vast majority of issues people run into with over leveraging.

The objective is to keep as much of your operating capital intact as possible.The goal is to buy, fix, finance, and avoid leaving cash in the deal, so you always have liquidity for future projects.

Quote from @Pierre E.: I am trying to learn and understand... someone told me that its not just size of the home or level of the flip that determines profit, and that in some markets, what is considered a typical profit is 300k based on the 70% ARV formula.

It fills out your Schedule E to send off to your CPA every year!

Basic q - do I have to liquidate to pay him back in cadh OR can I use the stock to pay him off?

While REITs offer liquidity and simplicity, they lack the tax advantages and control of direct ownership.

But if I had a lot more liquid capital and had the choice, I would buy newer ones.

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

It isn't impossible but as @Jimmy Lieu mentioned, there is a steep learning curve.Depending on your liquidity, out-of-state buy & hold rentals could be your best bet if NYC investing is out of the picture.