Quote from @Mitchel Quinn: My name is Mitchel Quinn and I would like to get a good foothold in the door of real estate to get on the right path and stay there.

Like 5 people where like "call your attorney" I was like uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you knock on his door yet?

I've got something like that I used for a client a couple of years ago: Proforma with Tax Savings. 

This is a marathon and not a sprint, so look at it like that so that you can have a long and fruitful career.  

I’m a business owner and aspiring real estate investor looking to learn, grow, and connect with like-minded people.

Sounds like you're already diving into the BP content, which is a solid foundation.

I’ve been around real estate for decades, and I read in The Economist once that in lively markets like Charlotte, folks will pay a premium for a comfortable room if you’re near major employers.A friend of mine tried something similar out in Austin a while back.. he’d inherited a 4-bedroom property and split it into individual room rentals.

It sounds like at the current moment a HELOC would be the way to go as it can help keep costs low by only paying interest on what I pull out rather than doing a refi and being locked in to a higher payment regardless whether or not I find a deal.

However you can likely make significantly more cash flow (not sure about appreciation) in markets outside of new york. 

@Lucy AhlI am not taking sides here, but it sounds like there are quite a few things amiss from both parties.