hi everyone, this is my first time posting to bigger pocketsi am an airline pilot in my mid 30s and looking to create a new life for my wife and myself and our baby on the way. i have dove deep on BP and been scouring the bookstore and the podcasts and learning as much as i can about investing in real estate. we currently live in a 1b/1ba home we own, and no longer owe any debt. i bought it for $120k in 2015 with 2br/1ba, met my wife the next year, she moved in and we gutted it and rehabbed it ourselves (aside from some structural flooring stuff and the final electric and water connections) and blew the tiny bathroom out into the adjacent bedroom, making the house a 1br/1ba. we did all the framing and flooring, paint and drywall and fixtures ourselves. we plan to add an additional bedroom or two, and possibly another bathroom, in the unfinished attic at some point. i was granted a HELOC for $120,000 with my local bank after it got reappraised a month ago at $163,000. i think we spent around $25,000 on the rehab so i'm feeling pretty darn happy about the situation. obviously the covid exodus from boston and new york have pumped real estate prices but we dont really plan on selling any time soon; but possibly renting it out if i get relocated for work.i am trying to find my first investment deal, and my wife and i have narrowed down our plan to aim for a rental with cosmetic rehab and solid tenant base. we thought about house hacking. i'm not sure of where i'll be sent next with work, but i will be sent somewhere else soon. our local market (vermont) is not very landlord friendly so we are looking at long distance, self-sufficient rental as our first investment. i am leaning toward student rentals, and after searching and comparing prices and stuff we have chosen to focus on a few different college town markets in the TN, KY, WV region. i have found a property i think might fit. its a triplex with three 1br/1ba units and off street parking, split utilities, w/d in each unit, located a half block from campus. it seems in decent shape, its been on the market over 200 days, and is listed at $190,000 in a market i believe i can ask at least $750 per unit for rent, which would bring my cash flow to near $1000/mo if i used the calculator correctly.what next??

Still deciding on what utilities I will be willing to pay if any.

So, with my $1200 mortgage and $150 estimated utilities I am looking at cash flowing about $450-$550. 

In many jurisdictions, it is illegal for the landlord to have a resident pay for common area utilities.  

I have been doing a small development utilizing the GIG available talent to lower costs whenever possible.

I would get educated before using any of the money and make sure that the money only gets utilized for actual real estate investing.

If you're not utilizing the credit line, meaning none is drawn down, then yes you are holding it outright.

Simply state in the lease that once the new boilers are installed, they will have to pay the heat and hot water directly to the utility company. 

You have to have net passive income to utilize your suspended losses (unless active participation exception applies or RE pro status applies ) 

Get a good real estate agent, someone that will run all the numbers for you.Mortgage, PMI, utilities, live rental comps etc.