Although it may require a higher initial down payment to achieve immediate cash flow, the growth potential in Austin is unprecedented.

 - a study on rent cost compared to ownership cost shows that virtually every large city market it is initially cheaper to rent than own (I believe is was cheaper to went in 97 of the largest 100 markets)Miami and Florida have extra concerns:- insurance difficulties have resulted in large increase in insurance costs.  

The mortgage has gotten out of hand due to property tax increases, miscalculated escrow, and an increase in my interest rate from an initial buy down, increasing from $2600/mo to $3200/mo.

Areas like Aurora, Arvada, and parts of Lakewood or Westminster can be good places to look, depending on your budget and target tenant.If you’re looking for a base hit rather than a home run, focus on finding a property where the numbers work reasonably well as-is—cash flow might not be huge initially, but if you’ve got room to add value and refinance, you’ll build equity to reinvest.

In my case, I think TK is the best option - at least to initiate my real estate journey.

Through connections with people in various markets, I was able to establish short-term rentals internationally, manage properties in different states, and diversify my investments in a way I hadn’t initially planned.A lot of these opportunities came from contacts I made over time.

In Vermont, LLC formation fees and annual report costs can add up.A good friend of mine, Jason, started with five doors and used a single LLC for his properties initially.

Diving into creative financing options like you’ve done shows initiative, and you're clearly thinking about the big picture.

I like the idea of a hold back until the punchlist is complete, but that doesn't prevent an unscrupulous contractor from stealing the initial deposit...

Also, I assume a 10% property management fee in my calculations and based on initial conversations.