Most of the stuff on loopnet and/or MLS is going to be already shopped thoroughly to those brokers buyers - and if they didn't bite on it, you have to wonder why....BUT I have bought a few of them off there this year.

It was all bought with a HELOC on our original house that we’ve since sold and paid off that HELOC with the appreciation during the crazy run up around 2004/5 and moved along.

My wife and I bought a house and a couple years later we ended up moving out of state.

Let me do the math and explain what I could have done different.Let's say I bought a property for $150,000 that had a After Repair Value of $200,000 (keeping Numbers Simple). 

Methods I have used include:- House hacking - I lived in one unit of a 4 plex I bought using an FHA mortgage and 3.5% down payment- BRRRR investing - I bought a house in rough shape, rehabbed it, did a cash out refinance, and rented it out, and repeated- I bought a single family home, lived in it for 2 years then turned it into a rental- I took three loans over the years from my 401K for the down payments on 3 of my houses- I bought a 4 plex non-owner occupied using a conventional mortgage with 25% down, but over the course of 5 years it doubled in appraised valueI have one property with a 15 year mortgage and I break even every month with rent.

Bought 2011, $255,000. (30 year mortgage @3.875%)Mortgage (PITI): $1320Rent: $1600PM: $160Utilities paid by tenant except,Water: $75/monthCurrent value: ~$340,000Deferred maint: needs a roof, and new carpet.

My wife and I bought our SFH 5 years ago using an FHA loan.

"So, like, I just bought a fourplex in XXX.

On to REI if you havent bought anything yet or up till now you can and should qualify for a fha loan.

The 1st one I bought has had significant appreciation.