2) I bet you could draw that same or even more extreme graph for new car prices.

Hey Bigger Pockets community, I'm just starting out in Step 1 (get educated) on what I want to become a successful career in real estate investment.I also currently run an e-commerce business that is currently completely online, but would benefit from having a brick & mortar storefront, and I had an idea that maybe using the investment capital I'm looking to allocate into real estate into a commercial property my business can operate out of until I decide to sell the property in or rent it out to another business.I am obviously very naive when it comes to the complexity of any good real estate deal (especially commercial VS residential), but I'm hoping to spend as much time learning from everyone here who is on their journey as well.My main concern with the idea of buying commercial to operate my business out of it that I might struggle to rent it out afterwards and that there may likely be depreciation in the commercial real estate market over the next 5 years.I understand there is a lot of nuance depending on the local market but I'm guessing commercial is even less of a "safe" bet than finding a solid residential deal to leverage in some way.

If your goal is less required documentation, DSCR is likely your best bet as most everyone as mentioned, possibly a bank statement program depending on your job structure. 

@Devin James My bet is on that they close. 

To confirm my recommendation ask him for references at his current developments, I bet he won’t give you names and will make up an excuse!

It's a stalemate due to affordability and either wages or prices give, I would bet the latter. 

I would say for most people, the 1st position heloc is no a good bet, especially if you have a 1st mortgage rate of less than 5%.Using this strategy with a 2nd position heloc can be just as powerful, so you can have your cake and eat it too!

As a rental, tenants will likely prioritize the location over minor inconveniences.Your strategy of betting on appreciation and eventually pulling equity makes a lot of sense in this market.

Moving forward scaling with hard money loans may be the best bet and would avoid the headaches of living in a construction project. 

When you have a duplex and tenants on both sides stay for ten years, it almost guarantees that something isn't right.I would study your market and determine the value of your rental, because I bet you are losing money every month.