@David Woodside The 500-hour rule allows you to treat rental losses as active, enabling you to offset other income and reduce your tax bill significantly.

The cheat sheet/example greatly reduced time.

After closing, work on increasing your income, reducing debt, and preparing for a second mortgage.

The down fall is a Heloc can "Never" be used as an asset or for PITI reserves required when buying a new Primary or investment property.A heloc can also cause major issues with credit and one slight hiccup or missed payment the bank or lender who is holding the Heloc can close or reduce your line of credit.

  $80,000 per year, and reduced increments until you hit break even and have the bank covered. 

It’s gotten me seriously considering bringing an attorney in-house to handle evictions and other legal needs moving forward.I’m evaluating this from two angles:Cost Efficiency: With the expense as high as it is, having in-house counsel could potentially reduce costs over time.

When you add purchase price, carrying costs for at least 6 months, materials, labor, real estate agents costs and taxes, do you have at least a projected 10% profit?

Here’s a streamlined perspective:Your current approach, putting more down upfront, minimizes risk, increases cash flow faster, and allows you to build equity while reducing overall interest.

Also with plans to reduce industrial "intensity" in and around residential areas. 

In construction, there is only so much you can do to reduce your margins while staying profitable.