@Jonathan Klemm my hope is to continue to look for opportunities, primarily multi-family but also SFR. 

It's so bad that my last purchase was in Indiana, which was my first OOS investment, and likely will continue to look there if the market doesn't improve here.  

they are a non accredited pay to play orginization.. while they do some nice meet ups and have basic info.. does not mean that any lender that pays to be a member is a better lender than the thousands of us that are not members..

This lets both the investor and the builder do what they do best.I think this will continue to be a growing part of the investing landscape. 

NYC continues to appeal. 

It’s a great way to grow faster.HELOC or Equity Tapping: If you have equity in another property, using a HELOC or cash-out refinance could help cover the down payment without affecting your DTI as much.Seller Financing or Creative Deals: Look for sellers willing to finance directly, which bypasses traditional mortgage qualification hurdles.Scaling quickly often involves combining strategies—play around with what works best for your goals.

Two, you'll have a much easier time obtaining a mortgage product if you have a track record of W2 income.In the meantime, continue implementing the strategies you mentioned: save religiously, build your credit, pay any existing debt owed, etc.

Appreciation here is good and likely to continue as long as people want to move in the area, and housing inventory is still low. 

As you gather all this information, I would continue bettering the process and continuing to buy deals.

It is also a great way to grow your sphere of influence and continually remind everyone and anyone that you are in the real estate business.Let’s focus on the big three social media sites Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.