I'm looking to purchase a single family home as an investment property (buy and hold strategy).

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?

Investment Info:Single-family residence buy & hold investment in Rocky River.

At this stage in my life, these equity plays are more impactful than holding onto a property for a couple hundred dollars of monthly cash flow.What’s your take?

Once you have completed the consolidation portion of your 1031 exchange you now own a more expensive (and probably really nice) property that it must be your intent to hold for investment use. 

Generally there are multiple units for each "zone" if you will when I've seen them installed.Regarding your problem at hand, I personally would simply adjust your plan to move and make your initial plan to get the current issues resolved, while costly now, in the long run holding onto the unit will likely pay off. 

Calculate potential returns on reinvestment in target markets.Define Your Priorities: Is your primary focus maximizing cash flow right now, or do you also value the stability and equity growth of holding onto a property in a strong market like Bend?

If you’re using leverage, be extra cautious with your underwriting to ensure the deal still works at today’s rates.Economic Uncertainty: Inflation, potential recessions, or shifts in demand could affect rents, vacancy rates, and property values in some markets.Increased Operating Costs: Rising insurance premiums, property taxes, and maintenance costs can cut into profit margins, particularly for buy-and-hold investments.Regulatory Risks: Some areas are increasing restrictions on landlords, particularly short-term rentals.

We also have a different ESCROW account that holds the deposits for buyers purchasing our listed properties. 

Do you believe it will now be more cost effective to hold a license or do you believe the expenses will go up with what I assume will be a flight from the business by low producing real estate agents?