With Fannie Mae and the other conforming loan programs you still have to qualify to be approved and deemed you can afford the new purchase.

I don't think you need one before you start buying investment real estate, but as soon as you do, you're absolutely going to want one who specifically has a real estate background.

We have zero way of knowing what your costs are going to be, until you pick a specific property.

Hi,My wife and I purchased a home last August and set it up for a STR.

You can read the full details here (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf), but let me summarize what it says and why you should care about this specific release.1.

For a portfolio of that size, I'd want 10-15k in a savings account specifically for my rental portfolio, IE separate from your personal emergancy account.

To my knowledge you can't require the units be vacant unless you want to wait for the current owner to send notices out and then purchase. 

The idea is to find motivated sellers and help them through the selling process either off-market (wholesaling/investor purchase) or on-market (hands-on coordination, cosmetic prep, referral to real estate agent).

this is too specific and I have no clue what fee this is...is it an onboarding fee? 

Feel free to reach out if you would like more specific examples or references.