It’s worth reaching out to your lender to discuss the specifics and get a quote based on your improved property value.

Get your CRM up and running and keep in contact with everyone with content about the market, keeping in touch with past clients - just asking them how their house is, let them know that you were thinking of them when you drove past the house,  ask them if they made any improvements, etc.

This includes contacting the applicant’s employer and speaking with their supervisor to confirm job stability, income, and reliability​. if the person has not been employed at their place of employment they would require a guarantorCredit Score and Debts: Applicants need a minimum credit score of 620, and while we review debts, medical debts are generally not disqualifying unless they impact overall financial health.Criminal History: We do review criminal history to ensure safety and security for our tenants, while remaining mindful of state and federal guidelines.Rental History: Positive references from past landlords, with no evictions or significant lease violations in the past five years, are essential. and we can see into the court system if they have an eviction judgement.Release of Information: We include a release form allowing us to verify employment and rental history directly, which helps us get a clearer picture of an applicant’s background.This process has worked well so far, but I’m always open to improving.

I would use the income to slowly improve the house and once you get it to a good spot, HELOC out some money for a down payment on another place rinse and repeat. 

The property manager should be involved before you buy any property to give input on due diligence, how to increase income and reduce expenses, and to make repairs or improvements to maximize occupancy.Excellent property management is critical to your success before, during, and when planning to sell or refinance.To your success!

Since 2020 we've seen large asset value increases and large tax increases, and more modest insurance increases but we've been able to improve our profit margins sufficiently to keep up with inflation and even do a little better in many cases.

Basic staging with an agent usually means they give you insight into how you should:Declutter and depersonalize by removing photos and personal itemsArrange your furniture to improve the room’s flow and make it feel biggerAdd plants, move art, or re-arrange other accessoriesFull-service staging is another option if your house needs more hands-on attention.

Up until then I was cheerleading the earlier thought experiments about supporting lean/regular/fat income with ~$1000 / month per paid off SFH, thinking “I could bang that out in 5 years”.

Focus on optimizing the current fourplexes (improving rents, reducing expenses).

This would improve the property value and also allow you to lease out the 5th unit.