Not exactly sure where I will be after that time period, most likely closer to LA (family, friends, gf, all live in LA) My initial goal was to "house hack" a duplex, but after some looking on redfin/trulia, it seems almost impossible to do with the amount I got preapproved with.

If I were to L/O my house or rent to own for say 3 years, I believe doing a bond for title will allow me to maintain the owner occupied tax amount.

I’m just getting things started and want to get into ‘buy and hold’ properties to bring in some additional cash flow.My wife and I have a decent amount of funds set aside, but I was wondering if it makes sense to open a HELOC on our primary residence and utilize some of those funds as well for a down payment.

Sorry for all the dumb questions but I attempted to do this via 203k and the General Contractors are what I feel charging exorbitant amounts.

The amount of damage smoke does to a property is outrageous and it's extremely challenging to get rid of smoke damage.

How fast (the amount of risk you are willing to take) is up to you.  

If you're planning on getting another property ASAP and think you could get a deal in a reasonable amount of time, I'd just use the cash.

As the discussion subject implies, with a small amount of capital to invest, would wholesaling or small multi family units be the best course of action.

As the discussion subject implies, with a small amount of capital to invest, would wholesaling or small multi family units be the best course of action?

I'm looking for any advise offered on areas that are hot for rental incomes, good value for money, better local real estate agents to approach, etc.Also - i have a dilemma where i want to get pre-approved so when i do reach out to my Agent, i can tell them that i am pre-approved for X amount and they can they see whats on the market within my budget....