Hi,Quick question. Has anyone been successful using Listsource in 2019? If care to share what’s your prime targets. I’m located in Ft Washington, Md, currently looking for probate homes that have been owned for 7-10 y...

One of the things I've heard about hard money is in addition to higher rates, they have pre-payment penalties.Current or prior ownership of real estate: as stated, I am currently renting and intend to rent for at least another year or so.Value of property at present and/or your offer price: $158000 (zestimate)After repair value: $Anticipated or actual appraisal issues: will perform one during due diligence Current rents per month: $425Fair market rents per month: $500Down payment or equity: $30000Source of down payment funds, if applicable: see aboveIncome Source: Salaried/hourly W2, VA comp, Gross monthly income (optional): $1800 tax exempt, approx $4-5k in base wage (+ OT opportunities)Monthly debt obligations appearing on credit report, plus (if applicable) personal rent and alimony/child support/etc: $800/mo in rentFICO: Excellent Credit issues: None.

Any more info you might need for some healthy criticism I'd be more than happy to share. 

Really bad PMs in my area are a great source of leads. 

I also had heard larger investors criticize common techniques used by mom and pop investors such as investing locally and self managing.In the end I found out that mom and pop investors and the techniques they use are not bad and they enabled me to invest and make money even though I didn’t start off wealthy.

I have however seen from a few other BPers with a bit more experience that Zillow shouldn't be your primary source of evidence for the homes price.

A few points:1)  Find a good landlord attorney who can advise you on landlord/tenant, not just crowd sourcing the best answer by investors, lenders, etc. 

In a couple of months, between books, the BP podcast, this site and other sources, I have learned much.

@Josue Godoy This is a loaded question- If you are planning on being very specialized in a single area it would make sense to go one way or another...this is an oversimplification, but the point is to be diverse enough that you can process any type of deal...for example, really focus on an area you like well...like flipping, but learn how to hold properties as well, and whatever else you want to learn...as you grow, you'll be receiving many leads from different sources...and the point of this rationale is that you should have enough tools in your toolbelt to put your deals in a "best use" funnel...then profit on the other side.I'm only adopting this position because you are so young and have so much time in the industry to elect to pursue and specialize in one strategy.The simple answer is related to your goals...assuming you want passive income to replace your W2 means that you will need to buy and hold properties...similarly, if you start flipping properties, you're creating another job for yourself and creating a liability.

@Gregory A.The following IRS publication is a good source for the ROTH TSP distribution rules. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p721.pdfHowever, I would first transfer the ROTH TSP to a ROTH IRA since ROTH IRA distributions are not subject to the mandatory 20% withholding at time of the distribution.