Hi Amanda, congrats that you were chosen.

I've also explained that the bank I've chosen came highly recommended by other local investors and that I've had a great experience with them so far.

IE: House Hacking - 1) Identify a 2-4 unit property I can live in and rent the other units such that net rents cover most of or exceed the mortgage payment, goal: live rent cheap-or-free; 2) Secure long-term fixed rate mortgage/debt; 3) Hold and live in the property as I focus on honing my property management systems/skills and accumulate of capital for the next deal.Step 2: Call financial institutions (local banks, I'd start with Happy State. credit unions, Frost, etc) and figure out financing options for your chosen strategies.

hi everyone, this is my first time posting to bigger pocketsi am an airline pilot in my mid 30s and looking to create a new life for my wife and myself and our baby on the way. i have dove deep on BP and been scouring the bookstore and the podcasts and learning as much as i can about investing in real estate. we currently live in a 1b/1ba home we own, and no longer owe any debt. i bought it for $120k in 2015 with 2br/1ba, met my wife the next year, she moved in and we gutted it and rehabbed it ourselves (aside from some structural flooring stuff and the final electric and water connections) and blew the tiny bathroom out into the adjacent bedroom, making the house a 1br/1ba. we did all the framing and flooring, paint and drywall and fixtures ourselves. we plan to add an additional bedroom or two, and possibly another bathroom, in the unfinished attic at some point. i was granted a HELOC for $120,000 with my local bank after it got reappraised a month ago at $163,000. i think we spent around $25,000 on the rehab so i'm feeling pretty darn happy about the situation. obviously the covid exodus from boston and new york have pumped real estate prices but we dont really plan on selling any time soon; but possibly renting it out if i get relocated for work.i am trying to find my first investment deal, and my wife and i have narrowed down our plan to aim for a rental with cosmetic rehab and solid tenant base. we thought about house hacking. i'm not sure of where i'll be sent next with work, but i will be sent somewhere else soon. our local market (vermont) is not very landlord friendly so we are looking at long distance, self-sufficient rental as our first investment. i am leaning toward student rentals, and after searching and comparing prices and stuff we have chosen to focus on a few different college town markets in the TN, KY, WV region. i have found a property i think might fit. its a triplex with three 1br/1ba units and off street parking, split utilities, w/d in each unit, located a half block from campus. it seems in decent shape, its been on the market over 200 days, and is listed at $190,000 in a market i believe i can ask at least $750 per unit for rent, which would bring my cash flow to near $1000/mo if i used the calculator correctly.what next??

My rationale is that, had I chosen not to move in to the first floor, I would need to purchase my own single family residence and pay a mortgage.  

We have chosen to push forward, and our locations have gotten larger with each addition. 

“Competitive advantage” is closely tied to local market knowledge.Research, investigate, and visit several markets.Pick one or two and then become experts in the chosen markets.That’s how one can gain an edge.

We have chosen 5+ units as it seems it will be easier to secure financing as the asset will qualify itself, rather than our income/credit score having to be used to qualify (which cross border lenders will probably consider risky as we have no financial footprint in the US yet).

@Alyssa Jones Your story is your story and Im not here to comment or judge on what you have chosen/not chosen to do. 

One of the main reasons I've chosen go to a different state is for affordability.