I current get $1,000/month for the single and based off local market expect to get $1,500/month for the other part of duplex (mortgage is $2,080/month after putting 20% down).

Building relationships with experienced wholesalers can also open doors to joint ventures and off-market deals, giving you a head start in the industry.

And when you grow too fast (especially in a volatile market like the one we're in) mistakes can get made.

Begin your 'pre qualification' process for the acquisition now (most commercial lenders won't issue a PreQual but rather a LOI) In general, Commercial transactions can take longer due to extended due diligence, appraisal, environmental reports and financing (60+ days) so you'll want to initiate your search during the marketing of the down leg as it can cause a tighter timeline than a residential transaction. 

I think because the majority of people who refinanced during COVID are holding up, we don't see much inventory in the market.

I bought it at the peak of the market. 

Home equity is 6-7% depending on length 5yrs vs 15yrs a 30 yr mortgage is 6%...Ideally rental stays rented out bringing in 1/2 of mortgage payment on new house based on numbers and is already cash flow positive bring in $1200/month (worth about 180k)and new property is going for 240k going rental price is about $2,000/month but I owe 18k still on private mortgage- reason I want to pay it off (4% flat 720 interest from cc for 1 year) to have it 100% paid off, then use home equity to pay off....or try to balance transfer balance after 1 yr which ever is lower but I figured that would mess with debt to income ratio and with this property being brand new, which is hard to find being located outside of closest major city...goal is to keep house rented out till it's paid off while also being cash flow positive with both properties combined and using paid off/ nearly paid off 1 to pay for 2nd rental, so I'd say lowest debt while also building wealth/equity not worried about a monthly/yearly profit per say as long as someone else is paying down the mortgage ie: my current property is bringing in $1200/month but current market value says it should bring in atleast $1500-$1600 but the tenant is phenomenal so she's paid same rent since 2017 I've put about 36k into between mortgage payments for 2 years and some up keep...she's put in the other 130k!!

We have a few lenders that will go 90% LTC on flips and 80% LTV on rental properties in the OH market.

Hard money financing can be a powerful tool, and your lessons are spot-on.

Are these good markets for fix and flip transactions within my budget nowadays?