You’re asking the right question…I’m active duty Air Force with three rental properties, and I have three VA loans.Sometimes purchasing a home that’s close to turnkey may work if the numbers do. 

for non commercial residential I saw a study indicating that 97 out of 100 largest cities that it is initially cheaper to rent than owner occupy purchase.  

Have been looking into Commercial Retail shops, laundry mats, etc. but I am a bit unsure how much I could "purchase" with my current cashflow/down payment.

I recently purchased an investment property and as I was adding the property to my BiggerPockets account there was a follow-up question that asked, "Did you work with any real estate professional (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?"

Drives up housing rates.Is there anything specific about your town and area market?  

@Tom Gimer  heck of a stretch of an argument…regulating commerce which IS specifically mentioned in the constitution as a government function doesn’t fall under any of those categories. 

I would love to connect with people in Northern New Jersey that are utilizing the Medium Term Rental strategy locally; specifically furnished rooms that are being rented. 

All-cash purchases provide stability and simplicity but may limit your portfolio size.A balanced approach could be:Use a portion (e.g., $400k-$600k) to purchase a few smaller multifamily properties (2-4 units) in cash-flowing markets like Toledo.

Get the 2nd unit leased before you purchase the property, once you are under contract, you can advertise the property for lease.If you can direct message me I can get you a rental rate quote, most of my rental loans are in the mid 6% rate currently.Thanks,Dustin

Many 401k plans offer a loan option for a real estate purchase if you plan to live in it.