And finding a home that needs a good renovation and mixing it with these other strategies really helps.As far as areas go, easier to cashflow on the outer suburbs of Raleigh and on the Durham side of the triangle.

I was previously in construction equipment rentals and did real estate on the side.

It’s a lot less formal than the residential side.

You may have asbestos in the ceiling, floors or siding and you may have lead in the paint.

As someone who had a parent pass away and had a family member getting blasted with text messages with offers to buy their home after this - I can see also the side of it that is "leave them alone".

So, if your current rent roll is still on the lower side, it could limit the amount you can borrow right now.However, if you have even a partial track record showing improvements.. say a few of the units are already updated and attracting higher rents.. a lender might take that into consideration when underwriting.

While I am very knowledgeable about home construction and she is very knowledgeable about real estate sales, neither of us are knowledgeable about the investing side.

Being a broker myself, I can attest to the incredible value you can bring to clients by understanding not only the brokering side of things, but the application of those funds. 

If you are the nicest 4/2 out there in the market and all the rest have not been remodeled in say 15 years, and your property was remodeled a month ago then the price on your property will be easily justified at a higher price on the listing side. 

The 4 guests smoked marijuana in the house (strong smell), broke a window blind and a picture, put a hole in the bathroom wall, chipped an end table and worst of all vomited on the couch and front porch.