If it's a fixer upper you would account for the rehab and purchase price then compare against the ARV.

Unless y'all have an incredible W2 to help with the purchase, you will not find something that "works" in the Triangle and in a good/safe location.

With less experienced or just poor planning operators, it isn't uncommon that they spend years distributing all the cash out to the owners, and then the time comes for a multi million dollar refresh to maintain the hotel brand, and no one wants to cough up the money back into the entity.

If purchasing new real estate as part of your reinvestment, a cost segregation study can maximize depreciation deductions, offsetting future taxable income.For effective planning, assess how the sale price is allocated between real estate, tangible assets, and goodwill, as this determines the tax treatment.

@Christopher HeidrichRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

What this leads to is higher purchase prices but also higher rents in these areas. 

After years of focusing on my career and building financial stability, I’m ready to dive into real estate investing and start creating passive income and long-term wealth.My short-term goal is to purchase my first duplex or single family rental. 

Other insights to be gleaned from the stats: Cash purchases dominate more than ever, representing over 62% of purchases.

You owe two taxes:A. capital gain tax on $150k ($500k sale - $350k purchase)  PLUSB. depreciation recapture on $100k of depreciation taken.Now, let's assume that you messed up somewhere along the way, and you only took $70k worth of depreciation instead of $100k.

Quote from @Paul Whitehurst: Many will tell you to borrow money from Property A to purchase Property B, but that's known as over-leveraging and not recommended for a newer investor.