We'd really like to start a relationship with a lender that can help us with more long-term funding, as in more than 4.Thanks again!

I'm also looking for agents in Charlotte with multi-family properties, and excellent property managers.

Will also want to consider putting clauses in place to cover if I sell the building or we end our owner/manager relationship, the lease could come to a end.Thank you

@Ratna Eluri While saving money, you'll want to also make sure you're building a relationship with a loan officer who understands your goals. 

It’s from a smaller bank and banker that I have a relationship with.

This should all be able to be done in excel.

Breaking up the relationship with an unresponsive broker is not fun, but necessary.

I know there are excellent opportunities in that region of the country.Check out the "Local Forums" to connect with local investors and  "Real Estate Events and Happenings"  to see local meetups.Good luck on finding your first deal!

REI has historically been very competitive.Cash is not king in real estate investing...deal flow is (lots of it).If you don't start now, you will have no experience or relationships if a correction occurs.If a correction occurs, lending/capital sources can dry up.Investors over-estimate their ability to pull the trigger when prices are crashing and there is no end in sight.If you can generate even a small positive IRR from real estate during an economic recession, idle cash is the risky choice (and is very costly over long periods).All properties and markets will not loose significant value in the next down cycle (real estate is local and good locations will always perform well).Investors can add as much or more value to a property than the potential loss of value in a downturn.If we have capital that we have to put to work, prudent real estate can be the flight to safety.I don't like investing into a hot market but sitting on the sidelines for years is not a viable strategy...just have to be really careful.If you are a market appreciation only investor, ignore this post...that can require some market timing.Interested in everyone thoughts.

You don't want to strain any relationships with the seller or else you could develop a bad reputation.