They do it across the board so all their units have to pay the higher deposit.

For example we pay our own income taxes, broker splits and all of our other expenses directly out of what we make including required E&O insurance, MLS dues, licensing fees, Board of Realtor dues, continuing education costs, marketing, advertising, office fees/rent, transaction coordinator/ assistant fees, health insurance, car insurance and maintenance, gas, tires, software, retirement fund, etc.We are not W2 employees with payroll taxes already taken out of our paychecks, company-paid health insurance and matching retirement account plus a guarantee of at least 40 hours paid work per week, sick pay, paid vacation… none of that.So if you’re thinking you’ll be able to pay an hourly wage typical of a W2 hourly employee like $50-85/hr… that’s definitely not going to work.

Investors are already on board with the options weve got, just shopping for the best option.

Plenty of houses in these neighborhoods are boarded up, and retail plazas are vacant.

My goal was simple: house hack, and after a year browse to hopefully repeat.

lots to learn here just browse around and you'll pick up on stuff and know where to hone in more im specific areas you are interested in. 

The December 2024 report from the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) shows stable housing prices and balanced market conditions in the Austin metro as we reached year’s end.

I walked all the nearby comps, gave the seller my opion/list of what his property was "missing" (fenced yard, light staging, add a 3 board fence panel and landscaping here...) and advised him to get a surveyor to mark the lot corners...The previous agent had not suggested they get a surveyor to mark the lot corners when he bought the property to flip....there's a chance the house or driveway may encroach the neighboring property.  

Good old fashioned networking with professionals in your marketSEO, Ads, etcDirect Mail to lists (absentee owners etc).There is a lot of marketing info on other boards here that is tried and true. 

Most won't insure pools with diving boards or ones without a VGBA drain.2) Include the cost of a pool company to manage the pool in the rent.