If you can qualify for it, get a HELOC or HELOAN on those properties.Or find a creative private/hard money lender that can tap into that equity in 2nd lien position or to cross-collateralize them with the purchase of the new property and use that equity towards your cash to close so you can buy that next deal without much cash out of pocket. 

If I go the hard money route for my first investment property, am I still able to use my FHA less than 6 months later for a primary rental or because I have a property already in my portfolio will it be unavailable?

As soon as we had the money saved and the opportunity presented itself, we jumped on the chance to start this journey!

But if you build a cabin that stands out and people want to stay in you can make good money. 

This could help you clarify your goals and potentially save money for your future.

These are single family homes that are worth anywhere from $500k-$1.25M, rented on a long term basis to renters that are paying a lot of money so there is a standard of care that I'm expecting for myself and renters-- over what I would expect from a 1 bed / 1 bath renting for $750/month (no dig to anyone who owns these, in fact I wish I had more of these). 

@Patrick Irish, If paying money buys you peace of mind then go for it. 

. $100 is WAY too low and they will be losing money when finding a tenant.

To the hard/private money lenders out there.

Hi all,I browsed through a few pages of threads looking for an answer but did not see anything applicable.For the private lenders out there, what is the best/easiest program/application/platform to use to begin private money lending to others?