I have a couple questions, Do I have to give the client I am purchasing from earnest money.

The exception in my portfolio are a couple of condos I have in Frederick which Ive not really been able to raise the rents in 6 years.

Is a traditional bank loan the best route for a couple with no connections?

Hello,First, my experience in real estate is currently limited to a couple of rental properties.

As someone else stated, banks will want to see a couple of years of rent roll typically , so do a solid job of estimating the current rents for those units and what additional CAPEX is required, apply a 50% rule and CAP rate for the area and that’s the value.

Prepare what you are looking for very specifically, give it to a couple realtors and see what you get. 

@Yousef Samy the cost of staging varies but it's safe to say a couple thousand is pretty standard. 6% realtor commission.

Keep in mind that you cannot keep doing that method, you'd have to change location (couple miles away or closer to work), or if you stay in the same location you have to buy a bigger property.

@Lex Phumirat The next couple of Thursdays I have appointments, but if you are available on the weekends, I could always use more cold brew!

Best to talk to a mortgage broker who can bring in your application and shop it to a couple different lenders to see who would do a business loan.