We will be in the area September 7-12th for our "house hunting trip"... most of our research so far has been done online via Redfin, Zillow, Craigslist, and we've been given access to MLS alerts through a couple people we've met networking.

We bought our first home (already at a good price - owners were very motivated to sell quick) in Kailua in late 2016 with a loan from my parents for the down payment and have done a lot of improvements already which has upped our equity quite a bit, so at this point, we are waiting for at the very least the 2-year mark as well as a few other improvements before we sell again, and we are hoping we will make a pretty good profit, pay my parents off, and have leftover to move on to the next property. 

The property also needs $200,000 in capital improvement.

@Travis DardenIn order to access funds from a 401k, you need to determine if it is a current employer plan vs a former employer plan. 

Second story has 8ft ceilings, is heated and cooled by central HVAC and as Steven mentioned, has a bathroom, windows and access to the exterior of the house.  

Another way to make money is by building equity by improving the properties.

Still learning but hoping to improve my process and keep buying properties in the future.

@Shea Spinelli can you pull what cash you've put into the property (DP, closing and improvements) and still +CF?

In hearing/reading about how other investors expanded, those investors often talk about access to hard money. 

We improved the kitchen, just by painting cabinets, adding hardware, adding a range-hood that matched the stove, painted the door and did some yard work.