@Nathan FrostThe advantage - some will do 90% and 100% construction but recognize your signing a personal guarantee and will be paying 10-12%+ for interestBenefits of a private lender are speed to close, creativity in cross collateralizing etcThere are a lot of people on BP that think oh private lending is less strict than banks and easier to get.

In other words, there are few people right now continuing to network with brokers, lenders and investors.

I do believe Redfin/Xomee you could export the data and kinda compare contrast and Realtor you could do same just maybe in a zip code, county wide data. 

Many lenders are hesitant to provide long-term financing to first-time homebuyers, which could limit your funding options.Finally, consider this: if you invest your cash reserves in one property, how long will it take you to save enough to buy your next investment property? 

I think this is going to be a hot topic for many given that the big driving factor is the low rate we have on the old house (2.7%) compared to our new house (7.1%).

Todays interest rate environment it is not a bad idea because it will be challenging to get returns that meet your interest rate you are payingIf your loan is 2-3% I would out the money in an account earning 4-5% compared to paying down a 3% mortgage - but I also get the stress relief of having a low mortgage and lots of equity

It actually doesn't matter if you are purchasing for cash or financing - it matters how much the purchase + reno will cost compared to the after repair value.

Credit score- the higher the best. 780+ generally gets best pricing for investment property loans with most lenders. 

Now, I'm saying this because the Hard Money lenders I use on my own properties I know, like, and trust.  

@Dick O'Hare, I'm not familiar with Blueprint, but there are several lenders within the Bigger Pockets directory the lend on STRs.