For $10K and a lower rate I'd be willing to consider delaying...but only if I knew that lender two was solid on closing in a relatively short timeframe.

The place I’m looking at has all employees and a wonderful couple who has owned it for about 30 years.

The benefit to these is you get your foot into the door without a ton of capital and as time goes you can move out and cashflow on the property.

Nope......i heard of it on a podcast though.i actually have studied banking and economics for the last year and a half.

Although things will change this year, between HELOCs, 1031 Exchanges, and a Business Partnership, I'm up to 15 doors (including my personal residence) and I haven't done a down payment since 2015.

As more people placed more properties in STR inventory, and as more municipalities taxed and regulated the industry, the profitability of the overall industry has reverted to a much more aligned (lower) risk adjusted return.  

Augusta indeed offers great potential with a strong rental market driven by factors such as population growth and a stable job market.

And as I explained earlier, your investment is protected by real property, so your risk is extremely low. 

Usually there is one owner and a property manager.   

We have a parking lot, a dumpster, a few picnic tables, a small playground, a small dipping pool, and a "dog park," which is really just a fenced in grassy area.