However, these properties are so fun that they are by far my favorite and most enjoyable investments and they have all gone up in value with the improvements that we have made.

My wife and I have overhauled our personal budget to reflect the 'pay yourself first' approach (allocate in order: income comes in -> invest -> donate -> fixed expenses -> variable expenses -> fun $$).We are looking to see what experienced people generally recommend for a holding tank for that 'invest' allocation while we target our first real estate deal.What financial vehicles have you guys used that works well for this?

It's the middle of the winter in Chicago.

Its dirty but its fun.

@Katie Lyon Because our weather is more temperate over the winter months, we have much more consistency in demand across all times of the year, so typically the market stays fairly consistent through all seasons.

Purchase price: $395,000 Cash invested: $100,000 Sale price: $570,000 Such a fun project!

And TN had way more "winter" than us. 

We have had a pipe burst during the cold winter months, the roof needed to be replaced (thankfully covered by our insurance), and some issues with electrical, which hasn't been majorly updated since it was built in 1973. 

I happen to live in AZ in the winter and MI in the summer. 

Otherwise perhaps your winter people will pay $500 extra if your cap is $500 and that is not what your competitors will be doing.