This got me thinking....I, like you it sounds, have the skill set to do many of the repairs myself.

If you can't qualify as a real estate professional, your ability to use PALs to offset non-passive income (like your W2 earnings) might be limited.

If it is, then you are subject to limitations on taking losses as you likely lived in the house for more than 14 daysIf this is not a personal residence, the not having to report income for less than 14 days of usage does not apply.

Here are a few I recommend: "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Roberto Kiyosaki; "Set for Life" by Scott Trench; "The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing" by Spencer; "The BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide" found here on BP; "The Book on Rental Property Investing" by Brandon Tuner.

We currently own the lot it would sit on free and clear in city limits.

Setting up the campaigns was a nightmare!

@Brianna Johnson you’ll need to find out from your mortgage company how much extra you can pay into an escrow account because many have overage triggers where they’ll send it back to you if it goes over their limits.

While I do think you can find SFH in that range Duplexes will more than likely push your financial limits with the rehabs needed on properties of that price. 

If you're looking at investing in MA or any state, I'd probably wait till you have enough for 25% downpayment + closing costs and about 70-100% of capex reserves + vacancies set aside comfortably.

Heck- this legislative session, the state just passed a law stating that no city can pass any laws regarding rent controls or limiting the fees that a landlord can charge.