Houston had the highest annual appreciation at 2.6 percent YOY increase while Austin showed the lowest annual appreciation at negative 3 percent.

This can be very expensive and is usually the worst choice because you can't justify the cost.2.

Even though sales usually pick up this time of year, has anyone else noticed a significant shift in their markets?

That means you would need to refinance, usually with some down (if you don't have enough equity) and a higher interest rate.

Most policies have you pay a percentage of your work to them as part of the premium.Good luck.You will not always (usually not) save the GC markup by acting as an Owner/Builder.

This excludes any operating cash flow Your renovation can be funded by debt or by equity.Just by glancing at the biggerpockets performa, your biggest issue isn’t your purchase price it’s a negative NOI.

Or do I put enough equity into the house, so I’m not getting a negative return?

I mean it’s reared to begin a purchase with so much negative equity?

If you want to retire, you need a paid off house, $500k+ in liquid assets (usually a retirement account or after tax brokerage), and more than 1 source of income (RE, retirement account, social security for those of qualifying age, part time gig, etc.). 

And bad credit usually equates to a tighter financial situation, so taking on a higher-interest rate loan is a risk for someone like you.