They aren't as busy as some other shopping centers in the area.

And then I'm keeping the smaller ones and doing some bigger ones (3bedroom 2,000 to 2,400 sq ft) that will remain as holds.Keep in mind that as a builder my cost basis is better than people paying retail. 

My background is in analytics and have worn a couple of different hats in the space - sales compensation, business performance / reporting, COGS management, and opportunity / risk evaluation and implementation.Real estate investing is the first topic in a long time - maybe ever - in which I've been truly interested in learning more.

For example, now incur 3 months of carrying costs and then have to sell for $20k less those extra costs are your damages that you could claim against the seller.

And then closing costs...of $10k?  

Of course, I don't pay for the company to manage my own places, otherwise I wouldn't be in this business. 

How much does it cost? 

There are also additional costs of operating and maintaining an LLC, like separate bank accounts, annual report filings, tax filings, etc.2.

You may be able to do a blanket loan as well to save on closing costs.

And house-hacking is the quickest way to build wealth in real estate from scratch.At the risk of sounding like an agent angling for your business, I would offer a word of caution using your friend, unless he or she really knows the nuances of what you're looking to do.