A stress-free life is the best life.Why have 100 properties when you can live the lifestyle you want with less houses that are paid off.A paid-off house also is one less obligation that you have, no monthly mortgage payment that you have to worry about.

This unique blend of economic opportunity and lifestyle appeal positions these cities as prime locations for both investment and personal residence.You mentioned Roan Mountain and Watauga Lake.. both are fantastic draws.

Here is some key information:Property recently hit the market and has 2 cash offers alreadyThe seller provided a pre-inspection report, which I shared with 2 different lenders, both think it may fail conventional financing due to potential structural and electrical issues (realtor thinks it could pass conventional)Seller has 100% equity but is behind on other payments (not sure of the urgency money is needed)This is my first attempt at an “investment” property so I’m new to thisI see 3 optionsMove forward with an offer using conventional loan pre-qualification-Not as attractive of an offer to the seller-Possibility that appraiser calls out structural/electrical issues that need to be fixed before closing, effectively causing financing to fail- Best terms and fewest loan fees for meUse a rehab style loan such as ChoiceRenovation-Even less attractive than a conventional offer to seller, but less risk of failed financing if appraiser calls out issues-Slightly worse fees and interest rates compared to conventional-Lenders tell me possibly up to 60-90 days closing in some cases, with red-tape for contractor requirements and draw schedules (sounds like the most hoops to jump through during rehab)Use a hard money lender-Most attractive loan option I can give to seller so I can compete-Much higher fees and interest rate for me-need to refinance into a conventional at the end of rehab (not familiar with seasoning periods but I think this is a factor as well)Which option would you do?

As such, just upkeep and maintenance of the yard became a factor in deciding to sell.

I've included an example below to help illustrate this.So different lenders have different rates (which do vary even for DSCR loans) but these are factors they all consider.See example below:DSCR < 1Principal + Interest = $1,700Taxes = $350, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $50Total PITIA = $2200Rent = $2000DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2000/2200 = 0.91Since the DSCR is 0.91, we know the expenses are greater than the income of the property.DSCR >1Principal + Interest = $1,500Taxes = $250, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $25Total PITIA = $1875 Rent = $2300DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2300/1875 = 1.23If a purchase, you also generally need reserves / savings to show you have 3-6 month payments of PITIA (principal / interest (mortgage payment), property taxes and insurance and HOA (if applicable).

As others have said, the location is a big factor in MTRs, but so is the clientele you are going after.

For the 700 credit score you could take 1 month's rent as a deposit but for the other 2 you could take 2 months (as an example) due to the risk factor. 

Typically, we see anywhere from $600 to over $1000 per unit (maintenance and turn costs)  depending on these factors. 

There’s also a scorecard that gets released based upon many factors.  

All of these factors make the city a great place for BRRRR investing - so good that I started investing here remotely from Texas.