In my current market housing inventory is limited and the builders are going crazy so large renovations or flips are out for now.

I have cash to use, great credit, but minimal income, limiting me to under 80k properties mainly.

Hopefully you have limited your exposure in the deal.  

Jennifer,Yes, you will be required to file a tax return due to the amount of income you earned regardless of what the net income may be.You should file it regardless of profit or loss to ensure you start the statute of limitations for audit.

., investors) tend to be more sophisticated in Atlanta than in other places, so marketing to landlords tends to be less fruitful (in my limited experience) than other forms of marketing in that area.My recommendation is to focus your marketing on homeowners with equity, whether distressed or not, and try to find locations where prices are trending up faster than homeowners recognize (so you can take advantage of some quick appreciation during a short hold period).

Putting a renter in the home will limit the potential buyer pool.

We currently pay $2800 per month for rent which in Atlanta gives us a nice house in a decent area.Strategies:From my limited US RE education it seems like there could be a few other strategies we can use to get into our own place without using cash or bank finance:1.

Based on the limited information you've provided, it's a matter of whether or not you have credit and cash available to make a down payment and borrow for the purchase of the property?

auch.....6- PlexesRBC offers residential mortages at 80% LTV, so I am considering start with a 6 plex to learn the ropes and later on maybe try a 10Plex.My funds are very limited , so I might have to stay under 500K purchase price.According to my calculations, a 10 Plex with 15% down would give me better returns than a 6 plex with 20%, but if CMHC financing is hard to get, I might have to stick with a 6 Plex.Do you guys know of anything else I should be aware of?

I like: Epic Real Estate InvestingReal Estate Flip TipsREIClub.comLearn eal Estate Investing/Lifestyles UnlimitedReal Life Real Estate InvestingReal Estate Investing MasteryNo Limits Real Estate Investing PodcastREIology Real Estate Investing SimplifiedSome of the above don't have weekly podcasts but the older ones are all excellent.