A good rule of thumb is to have 3-6 months of expenses (mortgage, utilities, insurance, etc.) set aside per property for emergencies.

They see a renewal of the current business tax rates, regulation and permitting rules getting slashed, tax code being simplified, and federal deficits on a one-way ticket down the elevator (which are a longterm drag on economic productivity).Just look at the growth in tax code complexity over the last 20 years.

:Quote from @Jimmy Lieu:Have tons of examples of deals that hit the 1% rule and positive cash flow.

These are rules of thumb that seem to be on par with today's market.

It is tough to find properties with 1.5% rule. 

A self-directed IRA could be a good way to defer taxes, but there are some rules to keep in mind—like keeping all the income in the IRA until retirement.

Non conventional just means the loan will not be sold to Fannie/Freddie so they do not have to follow those rules.

This is a pretty old post - not sure why a newbie felt the need to resurrect the dead here - and I'm not sure the OP is still hanging around, but if he is:The first rule when you are in a hole is to stop digging.

The 1031 exchange rule to defer your tax is two part 1) reinvest all your proceeds and 2) purchase a property (or properties / DSTs/TICs) with an equal or greater market value.  

Whichever strategy you choose, ensure you're adhering to IRS rules about prohibited transactions and working with experienced professionals to structure deals properly.Regarding non-recourse hard money lenders in San Antonio, I don’t have specific recommendations.