I could alternatively put that down in a index fund for S&P that gets about 8-11%.  

Consider FHA loans, conventional loans, and alternative financing options.

Does anyone else recommend an alternative that is better priced, but equally as data heavy? 

.: There IS going to be a big impact on Real Estate, especially for Single Family and small Multi-Family that is Owner Occupied.The SALT Deductions are slated to expire at the end of 2025.Trump has already said that he will allow it to Expire:https://about.bgov.com/insights/elections/2025-tax-policy-cr...This is NOT a small change.The Standard Deduction gets reduced by about 40%.Then you get to deduct the SALT (State and Local Tax) that you paid PLUS up to $1 Million in Interest from your Mortgage against your Federal Tax Return.The only limiting factor will be AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax).In 2017 when this Cap was put into place, it made sense.However, now that the average Home sells for about Double what it was back in 2017, many normal Americans can benefit from the Expiration.I'm hoping that the Trump Administration does not extend the Cap.Too many people will love him more if he allows it to Expire!

Naturally, your relinquished property/properties must sell before you can take title to the new ones but at least it keeps distance between those time frames.

Alternatively, you can offer more such as central air when the competition doesn't have it.Avoid areas with a lot of new rental deliveries.

If accepted, I have my inspector inspect the property and provide me a report on the state of all systems and structural. then I use this report to build my scope of work and know what repairs need to be made. then I type out this list and solicit bids from 2-3 contractors/GCs/ handymen depending on the nature of the rehab.

Filled with natural lighting, this single story home features 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

Cons- depending on your personal financials, qualifying might be more challenging and the loan might not amortize over 30-years.Another alternative would be a business-purpose rehab loan (fix and flip/fix to rent).

If done right, potentially, I could get cash flow for current years that could continue and grow into retirement and be an alternative to trying to stack 1 million more dollars in the bank.