I was broke enough that I couldn't afford rent at my apartment, but fortunately my landlord didn't notice, thanks in part or in whole due to some substance abuse issues.Anyways, when visiting my mom in the neighborhood where I grew up, I had noticed this construction van at a house on our street.

Current house is 2500 sqFt 4 bed 2.5 baths. 

A few years ago there were a lot of get rich quick types, and I still get contacted by people who think they can buy 2 houses and retire on the cashflow. 

There’s a reason that big hedge funds still buy and hold houses.

I have a contract on a house in Phoenix AZ with a value of $500,000 and a mortgage of $288,000 to be taken subto.

I also paid interest on the loans.Is the utilities for the house that is completed and rented a expense deduction for the year or does it go into the basis?

Or, as Travis mentioned, sell your primary residence and explore house hacking opportunities, which will allow you to snowball income savings to deploy into the next deal. 

Charleston, South Carolina's housing market continues to exhibit growth and competitiveness.

You've probably heard of big Landlords losing property, but only because they were flagrantly violating Fair Housing, running a slum, or otherwise violating the law in an egregious manner.

The art and science of it all is that you don't lead with "I want to make an offer on your house", instead, you ask the homeowner "how can I help you?"