First and foremost, I'm a real estate agent specializing in investor-friendly opportunities right here in Denver, Colorado.

.- Set your standard and don't give up, in general, in the markets that I am active, you have some interest, but people that qualify is minimum, in most cases, I would say that what Jon said about 70%-80% is accurate in my markets too.One important thing that I found is that meeting them before you do the final decision is very important, I had the opportunity to have a competing tenants one and when meeting them it makes life much easier seeing if they will care or not for your house.

I'm sure your focus on New Jersey, New York, and Maryland will lead to exciting opportunities.

I have a small background in construction -- I used to do small jobs like tear up carpet or help cut or demolish sheet rock for my local church -- so I'd like to try serving as my own general contractor.

Bigger pockets wouldn't exist if every answer was "just go hire someone".If I needed to speak with a professional every time I had a question about real estate, I wouldn't have got to the point where I've essentially made this my full time job/retired off my rental income. 

I'm not going to lose a good opportunity that I need for growth due to someone's bad attitude.

Is there an opportunity to buy it off market somehow similar to a foreclosure?

Having some dry powder to take advantage of opportunities is valuable. 

I come across private money opportunities often. 

These include reporting rental income, allocating expenses between personal and rental use, and navigating new limits on mortgage interest and property tax deductions under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.In places like Hawaii, STRs are subject to additional taxes, emphasizing the importance of understanding the local tax landscape.