Begin by targeting distressed properties in gentrifying neighborhoods, securing financing through hard money lenders or private investors, and focusing on cost-effective renovations.

I personally will not expand into a market without securing a reliable team first.Service Quality Over Price – While 10-15% may seem attractive, be cautious—cheaper often means less attention to detail.

Gifting equity in a house may be more trouble than it is worth if you are not near the life-time exclusion1) Potentially having to get the property appraised everytime an equity is gifted2) Having a title company update the title every time3) Exemption of the gift tax return is normally for cash gifts below the annual gift tax exclusion, you may still need to file if you gift non-cash4) If there is partial ownership over several years, having to properly pro-rate certain items such as real estate taxes, mortgage interest and rental income if the property is a rentalBest of luck 

Using a HELOC or home equity loan on your personal home could be a good option, especially if you can secure a low interest rate and manageable terms.

.: I'm waiting on a seawall permit which was filed last month.

I would check this out with a seasoned securities attorney for their opinion/guidance.  

There are risky, but high return options like QQQ which grew 27% over the last year or on the other side / safe end, there are super secure short term US government bonds like SGOV which pays out about 4.5% in dividends. 

It does sound to me that a lot of that work should have come out of the tenants security deposit 

It’s all about securing the right agreements and understanding the rules. 

Leveraging our market connections, we identified the property’s potential and negotiated favorable terms directly with the seller, securing it at a highly competitive price.