Great question - and I did try a HELOC to get into investing, but my HOA is terrible and there's a lot of red tape that prevented it with multiple banks on multiple attempts.

Too many landlords will get their first property and end up with a terrible tenant which then leads to them giving up.

Margin trading is an absolute terrible idea as it is complex, riddled with fees, and incredibly risky.

The worst ones are those who will analyze a deal to the point where they eventually find something that isn't absolutely perfect, and then reward themselves for finding this “flaw” which does nothing but reinforce terrible habits.

He’s terrible with giving me receipts so I’ve given up.

Sometimes you just have to slog through terrible situations.

It is only 30 mins from Baton Rouge though, so that isn't too terrible. 

It’s an increase, but not terrible."

His credit is now terrible because of this.  

Prepare for a terrible REI experience investing in properties at that price point.