The home is located in a Master Plan neighborhood with good schools, nice amenities, etc.My plan is to then move out of the 2nd home in a year and rent it for an actual profit and move into a new home using my wife's VA loan entitlement. 

(date the rate, marry the mortgage)TLDR: home 1: House on navigable water 2/3 acre. interest 2.75% @ $288k remaining... monthly payment: $1650/mo, rents: $3000/mo, net after expenses: $500/mo and goes up to $1000 after 5 years.home 2: 7% interest @ $550k in the school district we want and nicer home.I want to time the interest rates correctly so they don't go down and prices go up and we get priced out of the market.

Shopping around for the best interest rate and a rep that will actually give me a call back.

Anthony, If you haven't already join a local real estate investing club and start learning from other members who are actually investing in your area.

This path makes sense because buyers will feel they are getting actual value, possibly saving them money for an real inspector if there something grossly wrong with the house.

18% is pretty arbitrary without knowing the actual cost of the policy and therefore savings vs. potential repair costs.  

Lots to consider here depending on date purchased, how it was split, what is being built, and when it is placed into service.

It is amazing how much these brick walls can bow out before actually failing, and it may be decades, but eventually they will.

Happy Thursday BP Community,I've been really struggling finding agents and wholesalers who can bring me actually good deals in the South Florida area.

With the lease to purchase the seller more than likely would ask for a deposit that can be applied toward the down payment when the actual sales take place or the seller can "finance" a certain portion of the down payment.