Steps to do now.  1.  

Based on my experience managing a significant number of rentals, leasing back to a seller can work, but it’s essential to approach it carefully.Lease Start Date:The lease should be signed at closing and start on the same day—Monday in your case.

I'd level up with a BRRRR, live-in flip, or house-hack before jumping into a challenging renovation.

@Edgar Duarte Selling now under the primary residence exclusion avoids capital gains taxes, allowing you to reinvest the $500K equity in diversified assets like index funds or additional rental properties.

Just got off the phone with another DIY landlord looking to hire a PMC.They really didn't like our response to their question, "How long does it take you to find a tenant?"

New Jersey is not a horrible state for investing it is more so certain towns and cities that give NJ a very bad name. 

It was the worst house in the best location. 5 acres just above a lake outside of a desired town.

Set a goal of 60 days to educate yourself and dedicate 30-60 minutes per day actually doing it.

They have a good set of advertisements that focus on their whole house strategy which is good IMHO.We are running about 50/50 on bookings for 2025 right now.

Quote from @Paul Whitehurst: Many will tell you to borrow money from Property A to purchase Property B, but that's known as over-leveraging and not recommended for a newer investor.