Following are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k Similarities Both were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions; andBoth are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m).The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (IRA LLC) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2016; the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

I look at it like this yes there's that 1% rule but if the property is less then $100,000 your putting 20% down and your getting cash flow out of it.

Be strict on the rules and regs of the lease as well as the payments.

Here are numbers i am thinking...With 1% rent rule at 4% mortgage, you can definitely make positive cash flow.Purchase Price: $125,000. 

Hi all i'm new to the community my name is Miguel and i'm looking forward to learn with all you guys about the beauty of real state. a little something about me, i'm 37 years old i'm a proud father of 2 boys and 1 girl, as well a beautiful wife, i love working out in the gym,running playing basketball and really anything that can improve my healthy life style. i work in the construction field doing office work, yeah yeah your typical 9-5 only mine is 6am to 5pm yes long hours and i'm tired of it. being doing it for 10 years and i believe there something better out in this world for me and that's one of the reasons i decide to give this community a try. i'm not that far behind on the real state me and my wife bought our first one and only home 9 years ago a multifamily home and we being leaving rent free. but now its getting old not knowing whats next and how to provide some freedom to spend more time with my family. i always like real state but never gave the proper effort to learn more about it and to stretch it to the max. so that's a little about me i'm sure i will meet a lot of awesome people here and i'm looking forward to it, anyone from new jersey i'm here if you like to go for a jog or grab a cup coffee.

I haven't seen much that hits the 1% rule here either.

Any recommendation for a lender that works with investors, understands their needs and can use rental income to improve DTI ratio?

I'm doing a lil bit better than the 1% rule , but that's where I want to live in the future .

I believe the general rule of thumb is, you don't want to have more than two hard inquires within a six month period.Happy Investing...

The rate quoted is not dependent upon your credit score, we just need to understand why the score is at that range and has it been improving.Any improvements to the property would need to be paid for with your cash.As we have discussed before, I think you should start with a flip property, maybe even a couple so that you can build up your cash and then use a portion of the cash as collateral for a larger line of credit.