The price point for a positive cash flowing single family house rental is typically 120-180k purchase price here so I am sure you'll be able to scale very quickly here with the capital you're working with.

I emphasized the quick closing timeline and my ability to pay cash via hard money financing to strengthen my offer.

this is only a good idea if you have reason to believe that the area will be appreciating quickly, which is called speculation and akin to gambling not investing. me personally, I would rather put my money on black than bank on market appreciation. negative cash flow rentals are a time suck and money suck.

If you're planning on managing the rental unit yourself, you'll learn a lot about owning rentals pretty quickly.

Strategic negotiations secured the property at $170,000, positioning us for a quick and lucrative resale in a thriving market.

Even though interest rates are high, we have a big Mircron plant coming here as part of the CHIPS act so that could boost housing demand in the coming years.I don't know the SYR market, but I did a quick search for duplexes somewhat outside of the city, and found this: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7300-Lakes....

Hours of servicing the loans in all their aspects quickly eats up the points we received at the beginning of each mortgage & it feels like we're doing all the work for no compensation.  

A quick web search shows it can cost upwards of $25,000.I'd say that if the flea-bag isn't a service dog now, it probably never will be.

We quickly saw its potential and finalized a deal with terms favorable for a successful flip.

With a flat fee structure, if you have a vacancy, the property management company has no real incentive to fill it quickly.