Factor in property taxes, insurance costs, and maintenance expenditures to ensure your investment aligns with your financial goals.Take Advantage of Financing Options: Explore FHA loans for owner-occupied properties or conventional financing options tailored to multifamily investments.

I'm a construction cost estimator building my real estate network, and want to offer my experience to the BP forums.I've spent 3 years in residential estimating and 5 years in commercial estimating.

Alternatively, would it be better to continue purchasing new homes with each move (approximately every 3 years) to gradually build my portfolio?

Go to BUILD YOUR TEAM at the top of your screen, and you can search for other MEMBERS or LOCAL MEETUPS.

You said cash-flow is a couple hundred dollars per month, but don't forget to factor in maintenance, vacancy, CapX, and any costs outside the monthly loan.

I would recommend taking the time to build construction lender relationships on your own.

So, here at the 6 month check in, here are the things I've been doing since January 2024: *Anchored everything to my WHY, including the motivations and long-term strategy *Joined a local REI group hosted by my church*Researched tax lien investing in Harford County, MD and decided to not play in that space this year*Read a few REI books (Rich Dad Poor Dad, One Rental At A Time, Building Wealth One House at a Time, Wealth Without Cash, Building Real Estate Wealth in a Changing Market)*Subscribed to a bunch of good YouTube channels (BP, ORAAT, Ken McElroy, Coach Carson...)

I am an out-of-state investor looking to connect with investors in the greater Cincinnati area to build up my network.

I cannot overstate the importance of finding a way to build a good rapport with your tenants as early on in the acquisition process as possible, as it will minimize or prevent countless headaches further down the road.When I took over my duplex with an inherited resident in one of the units, I had this conversation with the tenant prior to closing and found out that the toilet in their bathroom was clogging once or twice a week, and their shower head water pressure was super weak. 

I would look to house-hack if you are local -or- use this time to build up your financial readiness and see how the next 3-6 months shake out in some of those Midwest markets.