Contracts require signatures and in some cases may require a wet (ink) signature (closing docs in Mass and Maine for example). 

@Jared Johnson Thanks Jared, essentially house hacking was one of the strategies that I felt like would be the easiest for me to get started, just to get my feet wet and learn the basics.

Upon entering the home the numerous upgrades will immediately stand out including luxury vinyl flooring, new fireplace and new open floor plan.

Upon entering the home the numerous upgrades will immediately stand out including luxury vinyl flooring, new fireplace and new open floor plan.

Don't let the tenant flush wet wipes and toys down the toilet.

They have no way to know who falls into the numerous positions protected by this law, and it would be too cumbersome to constantly update all of their addresses in the database even if they could track it. 

I am planning this to be my first owner-occupied rental to get my feet wet and would rather push for a more stable / maintained area than higher cash flow as long as this prices are fair.

The carpets were sopping wet and a slimy brown fungus was growing on the floor - about a foot long and looked (I imagine) like an enormous crocodile poop. 

Additionally, there are generally numerous other costs associated with hard money loans such as origination points, appraisal fees, etc.Speaking with a number of lenders can give you a good idea of the liquidity they'll expect you to have for a certain loan amount, and most won't get too far into the loan application process if they know that you won't be able to support the loan request.Best,Michael

We got our feet wet, learned alot, and intend to pull our money back out (the velocitiy of money) to continue our real estate investing career through home mortgage or heloc, not sure which way to go.