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. 

I'd pay it & chalk it up to lesson learned.

It starts with doing 10-20% of the work and paying much lower taxes.

I am looking to get a job doing this, but I am not sure what commission percentage I should ask for or if there is a regular commissions plan out there that everyone pays lead generators.Thank you for any information you can give me.Allan Guerra

In North Carolina, any contract is a sign unless it expressly states that it's not for whatever reason.also, don't be afraid to pay the $300 for an attorney to sit down with you and answer your questions about what you're trying to do.

You live in one room, rent out the others, and pay your expenses with the income.

If you're doing a rate and term refinance, there's typically not a seasoning period but again it's common for lenders to require it be rented first.If you're doing a DSCR cash out refi, it may not need to be rented first but you're probably paying a higher rate.Your best option is to call a loan broker you trust and go through the options based on your current situation.

It's a great way to get into a property without needing to pay a large down payment. 

Always have a plan to pay it off quickly and free up the credit line for your next deal.Regarding pulling equity from your first property to fund the second one, this usually doesn’t make sense in the early stages.

@Jordyn Ohs pay off/down your Heloc aggressively and/or look into DSCR loans for future acquisitions.