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.

I'd love to help!

I’d like to get my feet wet with a flip or two before transitioning into long-term buy-and-hold properties.

MTR is hospitality, and I’d think you’d lose potential guests if they knew they had to set up utilities.

I'd appreciated any advice or gotchas if anyone has seen something similar.

If saving 20% and building direct is worth it to you I'd recommend it.

I'd guess the real number is closer to $30k, since we bought it slightly under market and did some minor work like changed all the appliances. 

My initial plan had been to do something like Rent-to-Retirement or REI Nation- assuming that I'd be leaving money on the table to pay for their expertise, but hoping that I would learn through the process and develop the confidence to strike out on my own later. 

If you are looking for nice and secure areas I'd recommend looking in the suburbs east of downtown and maybe north or south of the 240 loop.

Quote from @Srini Rajamani: @Jared Smith  At this point, I feel I'd like to explore other business ideas I have (including real estate) before going back to tech.