To buy in enough volume to support working with investors, you have to bid top dollar to get enough liens. 

Just need cash inflows, cash outflows, and discount rate.

If he's a vet, I'm sure there are resources he has access to that others don't, in addition to the regular places for support (eg local church). 

Operators - If you plan on doing the STR yourself, you will need to shell out the cash for this but only if you are renting out additional addresses on your property.

As long as I'm cash flowing, then I just slowly raise the rents over time.

Purchase price: $176,000 Cash invested: $53,968 Sale price: $220,000 Want to share my first flip, project.

One problem - I used all my cash fixing up the place I have! 

I haven't heard of a significant market collapse anywhere.I just had a client in FL get about 20% more on a refinance appraisal than they expected.Maybe some small market are going down but overall we are seeing things stabilize if anything.Rates went down recently for us and many other lenders which also supported values remaining where they are.

If the kitchen needs an upgrade or the bathrooms, or flooring then you could add value to the house and potentially cash out refinance or get a HELOC based on the new value and use that for more upgrades.

If credit is good and you have a ton of cash, then you should buy.