I have purchased an off-market property from an investor who now wants to sell the rest of his portfolio.

Quote from @Brandon Le: Your first purchase could/should be a house hack.

As an agent I often times refer to emotional appeal as a large factor on what drives purchase price. 

I've included an example below to help illustrate this.So different lenders have different rates (which do vary even for DSCR loans) but these are factors they all consider.See example below:DSCR < 1Principal + Interest = $1,700Taxes = $350, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $50Total PITIA = $2200Rent = $2000DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2000/2200 = 0.91Since the DSCR is 0.91, we know the expenses are greater than the income of the property.DSCR >1Principal + Interest = $1,500Taxes = $250, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $25Total PITIA = $1875 Rent = $2300DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2300/1875 = 1.23If a purchase, you also generally need reserves / savings to show you have 3-6 month payments of PITIA (principal / interest (mortgage payment), property taxes and insurance and HOA (if applicable).

I actually purchased a SF house with a two story detached garage in a nice area of brockton.

If this effort gains traction, it could fundamentally reshape the U.S. mortgage market, impacting financing options for real estate investors nationwide.The Role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Housing FinanceFannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) are government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that purchase mortgages from banks and lenders, package them into mortgage-backed securities (MBS), and sell them to investors.

Purchase price: $275,000 Cash invested: $294,000 Sale price: $355,000 Seller was behind on pay HOA payments and in risk for losing the property.

@Christopher HeidrichRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

I work with several real estate developers across the country and they all do it differently.My suggestion is to find a property type and an area/neighborhood/city/market that you are drawn to and plot your course from there.As for the amount of money you'll need, it's gonna be mostly driven off the purchase price of the property.

Is it better to have a willing seller and buyer before sending the initial purchase/sale agreement?