We have good knowledge of the Grand Rapids, Michigan area (we're all from Michigan) and are thinking it would be a good place to do our first flip.3.

Similar to you, I worked a swing/rapid rotation shift myself that allots me some extra time each month, but there's also life in general, and family, that makes time management more imperative then anything.I wish you the best in your ventures.

My first property is a Single Family house very near to downtown Cedar Rapids. 

I would like to get a multi and house hack as well, but they just don't come up much in Grand Rapids, MN.

Grand Rapids has been ranked at the top of the list for all kinds of things, #1 Best Places to Raise a Family (Forbes), #9 Job Growth (Forbes),  #13 Best Place to Live (U.S.

I just closed on a house from Auction.com here in Cedar Rapids.  

Grand Rapids is an exciting market to get involved with!  

I realize that this isn't great considering that I have maintenance costs, etc, but rent is appreciating rapidly in the neighborhood and I expect to raise it to $2450-2500 by next year and $2600-2700 the year after.Our new home:- We had access to a HELOC at Prime (3.5% at the time) and bought a home in the Gilead Ridge neighborhood in Huntersville.  

My goal is to purchase my first property in 2017, focusing in Grand Rapids MI. 

So the mortgage, taxes/insurance, and all general costs of operations are covered entirely by the renters, PLUS I typically add about $50 a month to the principal payment of each mortgage, which leaves me with $4300 in passive income.In my opinion, inflation rates are extremely understated, please see these two articles that drive the point home:http://www.businessinsider.com/if-people-knew-the-...https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-09/devonshi...Essentially, in times when the dollar is depreciating rapidly, in our situation due to excessive years of "easy money" and quantitative easing by the Fed, low fixed-rate debt is the best tool to combat inflation.