But I don’t know where to start researching if this is a good idea and how to go about it.

In 2023 my wife and I took out a HELOC on one of the properties to use as a downpayment on our current residence. 

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

Then instead of trying a little portion and letting me know so we could change it, he had the whole house painted and told me 4 days later, the paint is not good.

You get a little swing in spring and fall per usual but a good deal is a good deal

I think your live in flip could be a good idea.

You will need to really start playing the long game though and focus on securing assets that have good underlying fundamentals as you will need to get more creative with the financing if you want to keep moving quickly.

Good to see someone starting at such an young age.Try to see if you can get hold of a copy of The Millionnaire Real Estate Investor By Papasan and Keller.Also look at Real estate meetups in your area and Facebook GroupsThese help a lot and once you build  your network  I am sure more doors will  open to you

Hey everyone I'm a new investor and long time resident of the Chattanooga, TN area.

I've also been pre-approved for a $125K HELOC against my current residence, which I plan to use for the rehab and landscaping.