You can actually get 30somethingK SFH in Erie that aren't in awful parts of the town but I would suggest knowing the city areas well before attempting else you'll end up like some of these out of town investors buying on German St., Ash Street, Wayne, etc.

Once you lock in your goals and timeline, you can determine where to stash the remaining % of your income that does not go to expenses.

I am at the point where I'm paying off debt and looking to stash money for a down-payment on a duplex, triplex etc.  

The good part about a HELOC is that if you don't end up finding a property you like or it takes longer you can just sit and wait since the money is stashed in your house.  

I am selling a new construction home to a owner occ buyer and everyone lawyers up.. its a joke really.

reserve find would be a cash stash for repairs and maintenance.

In the interim you got money stashed while you think about your future.

Another thing you can consider is finding some trustworthy folks somewhere else in the country and be their financial partner on a few flips to keep building up your cash stash. 

I came to the conclusion that I should be stashing at least $466/month away for those times when big ticket items need to be replaced (repaired).In addition to this, I try to do as much preventative maintenance on these things as possible, and the money spent on this DOES NOT come out of the capex account (rather, general maintenance).I set up an online savings account through Barclay's https://www.securebanking.barclaysus.com/login.do  due to their favorable interest rate and no cost.

Did you have a stash of money to purchase your first flip or did you find a willing investor?