I agree with @Nicholas L. regarding the house hack strategy. 

Quote from @Zach Howard: Quote from @Nicholas L.: @Zach Howardlots here but i'll tackle just a couple things quickly...

Quote from @Timothy Franklin: @Nicholas L.

Quote from @Nicholas L.: @Melissa Vass Scotthello - here are some miscellaneous reactions and questions for you"it seems as if the MidWest is the place with the best returns"--well, there are investors succeeding and failing in every state in the US. 

I don't doubt that guys like me and you will succeed over a long enough time frame due to drive, ability to go do it, and determination, but the timeline shifts drastically due to the momentum killing L's we took early in our career.This is why it's hard to compare yourselves to the real estate winners of the past decade. 

Quote from @Nicholas L.: @Sathya Priya Sampathkumarhello. a few thoughts.1.

This is the form any lender should use to calculate you income (ignore the branding, it is the same for every lender):   https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/49/topics/1224525-fha-l...You will see what you can add back from your 1120 based on the % of your ownership. 

If you go back to work as self employed, there are some NonQM programs out there that can do a cash out refi after just 1 year of bank statements or P&L. 

Quote from @Anthony L Amos Jr: Quote from @Emily Shin: Hello, I am new to this community and to real estate investing.

Completely agree with @Arianne L. - not having a strong or deep 'why'.