Don't get me wrong, I want to support small business, but it is substantially more to go this way.

With a budget of $300K-$400K, you could potentially find single-family homes or small multi-units in those areas.I'd recommend researching rental demand near universities like Duke or NC State or even checking out neighborhoods with strong job growth near tech hubs.

This is what I would do - install a second thermostat somewhere remote (like the attic since she's second floor) and mount the small remote sensor in the living space.

Get a small inground fiberglass pool.No above ground pool unless you have a mobile home.

Sometimes those small gestures can save you headaches when construction dust starts flying.I’m curious... now that you’ve pulled off this deal, how would you approach finding your next project differently, and what kind of local contacts would you prioritize connecting with first?

I started listing the homes one by one as they became vacant, and we were doing okay with getting them sold - in 2012, that was no small task.Jeff called me one day and asked me for CMAs on the next few properties that would be coming up.

It allows you to use a small fraction of your own money.

Particularly when it comes to maintenance requests.Some context: I own two small multi families in Cleveland and they are managed by a PM company (B2B property management).

Focus on one strategy, practice analyzing deals, and take consistent small steps like attending events and building relationships.

Also, there’s much to delve into on of those scenarios, like what type of cashflow or investment do you want, etc. residential, multi-res, small multi-res, commercial, industrial, etc.There seems to be fewer deals around these days and this typically benefits the more experienced and skilled investors but there are always multiple investors that get “tripped-up” in these markets due to them relying on recent “fortunate” market circumstances only to realize the markets cycle and they weren’t prepared or didn’t underwrite properly to account for unforeseen potential.There are more considerations, but this is a start.