Your finances, and ability to pay monthly dues, directly impact the HOA and the condo they are trying to maintain. 

New buyers might be looking for for owner financing because traditional lenders won't finance them right now, even though they have ability to pay.Offering owner financing would certainly allow you to charge a higher rate than the bank.

that's an interesting contract twist.. and it makes sense... gives you the ability to act like a cash purchaser and use HML to actually buy.so in essence you can leverage your cash up without having to really have the cash. past the initial amount of one property..

Agreed with Jon...I would never trust an architect (or anyone other than the actual contractors you'll use) with cost projections, for lots of reasons:-  He doesn't know the contractors you will use-  He doesn't know if you'll be be GCing it yourself or hiring a builder-  He doesn't know the finishes you'll be using-  He doesn't know your ability to negotiate prices-  He doesn't know your level of experience and ability to make cost-effective decisionFor our most recent project, I had architects projecting $125-150 per square foot for construction. 

@Edward Geyer where you start is up to you and up to your ability to learn, not to mention the amount of money you have to invest.I started with a 4 plex, and it isn't nearly as hard as a lot of people on here seem to think.

While cash flow is great, you need to have an ability to build equity over time.  

I do not tend to trust other people's abilities to responsibly have a pet.

I can't get residential loans on more than 10 and I can't cash out if I have more than 4 - and my first 3 are in a high appreciating market and I felt that I would be limited in my growth ability but not being able to reinvest the equity

Brie's advice (30yr) is in line with the majority of real estate investors and allows you the ability to aquire more property in a shorter time period.  

If this is true then I'm not sure that having my personal assets on the line is worth the ability to keep my loan spots open.