Yes there will be months you will be "down" because you'll be paying to live there but it would be the cost of acquiring the property and will help you start your portfolio sooner rather than later.

I would pull the 500K, to then monetize through yielded interest bearing markets, then pledge those yields to acquire the purchase power for the planned various down payments  

Also, could you describe how this method helps you in acquiring leads?

Started my journey a year ago started doing some wholesaling and almost a quarter ago "moved" to Cleveland, OH to acquire the first property as an investor.

I can't vouch for it, but the hosts of the Rookie podcast wrote a book about partnerships that may be worth reading before you take on a partner: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Estate-Partnerships-Acquire-Achi...

Yes, I've closed on 4, rehabbed them, and they are all rented with tenants in place :)OK, and for these deals, I assume you use your own funds to acquire and rehab.With private money, you're now substituting some individual's funds for your own.However, unlike when it was just your money, you'll need to proceed with extreme caution to make certain your lenders are well protected if/when things don't go as planned.Private lending is its own whole profession.

I purchased my first rental single-family home in North Carolina, which quickly introduced me to the benefits of passive income.Encouraged by this initial success, I acquired a duplex in Columbus, Ohio, followed by a townhouse and another single-family home in North Carolina, all within a span of a few months.

I just started my due diligence phase, but the first thing I need to do is better understand the financial feasibility for the project, and how the return might compare to other investments we have undertaken in the past, which have been mostly acquiring existing buildings and renovating, not new construction.

You can always start off in real estate by acquiring a property as a primary residence.

It depends on where you are on the investing phase, everyone will be in a different part and have differing opinions.I was in the growth phase a couple years so I looked to take on more debt to build my portfolio.I accumulated a lot of wealth after all the appreciation over the past 5 years.I am now looking to decrease my debt.Once the debt is paid down, I will be able to get an increase in monthly cash-flow that would have went to interest / principal paydown.Remember the goal is a comfortable living situation and not to acquire more rentals(or another job).