Be wary of hard money loans; they can be pricey, often around 12% interest for newer, which can quickly eat into your profits and also require a high down payment.

Hello BiggerPockets Community,I've been consuming a lot of content from the BiggerPockets books and website recently, especially about networking and building your team, but until now I feel like I am stuck with a chicken-or-egg problem: How do you start building your REI network if you have limited experience and resources?

We require all tenants to add us as "additional interest" on their policies, so we know when policies have been cancelled, but if a tenant chooses to violate the lease and not carry insurance they can eat the costs of their belongings if something happens. 

A 200lb professional athlete is going to be more fit than an 200lb desk worker that eats fast food every meal. 

Then they will put down poison that the mice eat, scurry off, and die.

I have the cash flow in my budget to eat around $700 if need be, but this is not ideal because I am looking to scale.

Your number will grow exponentially, not linearly and your blind spots are expenses that you are too frugal to manage today but will eat at a higher price tomorrow.The goal should be to eliminate expenses via consolidation, have multiple sources of income, and carry low risk(debt). 

Car loans eating up a huge amount of income no. 

What you really build with rentals is equity - but also as you have discovered you can’t eat equity.

Check with the city on where they are install new sidewalks, outdoor eating areas, walking and biking areas.