Maybe an outside the box idea would be to try to force some equity by making some improvements in the house you live in.

It becomes risky if you buy an investment that won't pay you back in year one so having a strong buy box and knowing your numbers is key!

The bigger point is that if you use Walmart, Lowes or some other big box paint the base colors can and do change which will make touch-up difficult.

I pinged Henry on the side to hopefully connect.Do you know of more properties that meet my buy box (1 hour outside of Dallas, cash flow year 1, <$500k)? 

Quote from @David Martoyan:You need to be thinking outside the box on a deal-by-deal basis.

Not to mention, they probably won't want to admit it if a building they manage is in really bad condition.If you're serious about buying you should first talk to fellow investors and define your buy box.

We went in with what we hoped would be the winning offer because this is the one that checked the most boxes of everything we'd seen in months and we really like it.Am I even under contract for this property with everything in the address being wrong? 

I for one would dislike being pushed into a box, I'd prefer to choose my own stuff...and it really ain't that hard.Interesting concept though, I just do not see the value for a veteran Contractor or Imvestor.I'd ask for references before using them...

Fit buy box of A or B rated school that will appreciate over time.

Most standard MLS contracts now include a box check for 1031 exchanges.