Tons of free information online on how to do this, what to look for in land, where to buy it and then resell it.

Most likely higher prices in 2025 and 2026 as a result, along with increased competition and missed opportunities for appreciation this year to those who wait.At this rate, the only event that has the potential to cause a downturn in the Raleigh real estate market is if suddenly everyone stops moving here and buying here OR the economy at large experiences a deep recession. 

Online reviews can be a good place to start to get a general feel for a lenders reputation and consistency. 

Sticking to a one-year lease gives you opportunities to inspect, increase rent, update your lease, etc.I stopped allowing multi-year leases a long time ago because most tenants broke them.

@Mikhail EgorovWe do 20 Flips/BRRRRs per year and use these tools:Underwriting - DealCheckCRM - ClickUpProject Management - ClickUpBookkeeping - QuickBooks Online Plus Team Communication - SlackFile Storage - Google Drive

I'm interested in owning rental properties and think this would be a great opportunity as my first rental.

There are a few books and many online resources available for learning how to become a private lender, @Christopher Martin.  

Maryland: there's a HUGE opportunity for affordable housing, and the MD counties are amazing at publishing the rates by zipcode, often up to 6 (Anne Arundel county) and 7 bedrooms (in PG & Montgomery Counties).

I'll never look for furniture online again.

Once you exhaust your capital you can take inventory of opportunities and determine when is most appropriate to add debt to recapitalize yourself.