Beat up converse sneakers, costco t shirts, live in my starter home from 2012 and still have roomies paying the mortgage.

This is starter home in a growing neighborhood(not gentrifying neighborhood, don't confuse the two) of that same market.

So that could be a non-starter for you.Second, @Jeffrey Holst make a great point in that if you're actually selling a property and 1031ing into a new property that you want to own with a partner. 

If you haven't already, get to know a particular market area, such as a neighborhood that has "bread and butter" houses that would be good starter homes, low-crime.

So far the $1800 starter pricing seems rough. 

It would be something like a $20,000 starter investment and then an additional $20k contributed each year.

Hi Linda, well for starters your in what seems to be a hot area.

Cash flow is more than primary mortgage payment  (in our market your lucky to make $100 a door going in and starters are around $300-350K).

I have never had good luck getting PT from HD because it's always soaking wet and weighs a ton, then dries up and shrinks leaving big gaps, plus half of it is usually crowned or twisted and completely unusable so it's a non-starter for me, I get that from the yard where it comes straight and dry ready to go.

For starters, the facts are wrong.