Any advice would be appreciated.

Some investors and agents talk about off-plan opportunities as if they’re an easy route to massive returns, but the reality is that it’s far more complex.Buying off-plan can be incredibly rewarding, but it requires doing your homework, understanding market trends, and knowing which developers are truly reputable.

A good HI will go over your house with a fine-toothed comb.If you can find an Ex (or Retired) HI that is also Certified, that would be even better, since they will understand the structure/electrical/plumbing systems in more detail than a regular HI...

Be aware of who you interview as your accountant.

It's all about being human and showing people how to do things right.

It can be good to let the cashflow build up a little bit to have a nest egg.

not to say it can't be done, but it would be a lot if you've never owned anything before. 

Navigating NYC's zoning regulations can be complex @Jon Pflueger, especially in M1-2 districts, which are primarily designated for light manufacturing and commercial uses.

You as the buyer also have rights under fair lending and you should never be forced to use a builders lender. 90% of the time lenders drop the ball and end up not being able to close on time or their overlays cost the buyer the deal and in some cases earnest money.I would walk away from a deal that forces you to put $50K in earnest and use some generic lender who may not even be able to close the deal.

A cost segregation study looks at the overall building that you purchased and breaks it down as much as possible.The purpose of this is to increase the depreciation expense.Without a cost segregation study, you are depreciating the property over two items(Building and Land).However, a cost segregation study might identify items such as fencing which might be eligible to be depreciated over 15 years instead of 27.5 years.Depending on the year that the building was placed into service, you might be able to take bonus depreciation on certain items.The follow-up question to ask your CPA is will the cost segregation study help me, and by how much?