My main goals with these initial projects are:1.Gaining valuable insights into the local market.2.Getting hands-on experience with out-of-state investing, particularly when it comes to remodels and managing from afar.3.Testing the entire BRRRR process to see if it’s the right strategy for me long-term.If all goes well, I’d love to scale up and explore multi-family projects.

Otherwise, I’d save my cash for the next acquisition.I’d also be posting on every social media platform and telling everyone I knew that I was looking for more real estate deals.

I have some upcoming repairs needed that outweigh the Homestead Exemption and plan to make my primary home a long term rental in the next 7 years but the repairs can’t wait.  

Who talked you into buying the Costa Mesa condo? 

I was following your thread up until the moment you mentioned commission split with buyers and sellers agent.

Money now is very good because you are new and ready to do all the work, but the examples you'll hear about are people posting on BP saying, "well, I did all the work and they got a lot or most of the profit." 

Every investor has a different approach, but I personally buy my rentals the same way I buy my flips..at a deep discount using hard/private money, then refinance with a rate-and-term loan to secure a lowest interest rate.Ultimately, it comes down to your goals, risk tolerance, and ability to find value-add opportunities.

I need some tips for investing when your immediate home is a HCOL area.

But let’s go a later deeper - my down payment would come out of a well performing stock portfolio.

You could get started picking up various pieces while it closes.