If you dont have a great team to work with you can lose your shirt even if the house is next door to where you live... there are lots of great areas but only a limited number of great teams so our final choice has always been team driven... saying that we look for an area where there are lots of opportunities  and rental houses available in good areas using the 2 % rule  we found this in Detroit and Toledo  more then willing to share what we do and what we have learnt over the years

Quote from @Eric James: This is why I build outside city limits.

Credit cards have the same limitation on the amount you can borrow and will likely end up costing more than private lenders.

I'd recommend house-hacking a duplex or triplex if possible to help limit your living expenses.

That limit was recently bumped up to a $100M maximum.

, whether there's a high water table that encroaches on any underground utilities or foundations (and does that water table have significant seasonal water level variations), encroachments by roads or other improvements on your property, limitations imposed by easements or rights of way, etc.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

My recollection is (and insurance experts on BP can correct me if my memory is wrong), but most insurers will only pay "replacement cost"  policy limits, if you actually replace the damaged property.

Low prices enable more people to buy, limiting demand for rental properties so rents decline (in inflation-adjusted dollars).Population Growth: In areas with growing populations, demand outpaces supply, driving up property prices.

I know lots of installers don't do it, and I personally prefer the unimpeded look, but anything installed outside of the requirements of the material is probably going to be limited, i.e. the insurance company is not going to pay you because the material was not installed according to flooring requirements.