Hello everyone, I'm new to the real estate investing world, I've been doing armed security for the past 20 years, worked a lot of hours and just wasn't going anywhere, then i stubbled back onto Robert Kiyosaki YouTube channel, and membered learning about it some back in 2007, then started watch Ken McElroy learned as much as i could from him then i saw David as Ken's guest and that's what introduced me to BiggerPockets, and have been watching videos taking notes trying to learn as much as i can and trying to get started at the same time, and found some hard money lenders (because I knew I couldn't get a loan from a back with my credit score and just getting started) four of then said sure will give you the loan talk about being excited then they hit me with will give you 80% of the LTV and you have to put the 20% down, my mouth dropped and another guy said there's going to be a 15k PMI added onto it and after I explained I needed to figure out how to come up with the 20% plus the 15k he blocked me on Facebook, so i began asking friends and family for the loan but ended up at a dead end, so with one of the hard money lenders i spoke to and kept in contact with offered my a loan officer position and explained the pay and everything, and in my mind i was like oooo if i get 5 of these deals i could have 20k, which would be enough for a down payment for the LTV on a condo then do the BRRR strategy on it, so that's currently where im at now.

Get a large security deposit as long as it does not violate state law, and potentially ask for larger rent up front.

Many discover that finding and securing these large deals is a challenge while participating in syndications allows them to enjoy the benefits of real estate without the headaches of actually being a landlord.

And while you do secure the deal you will have all the carrying costs until spring.  

Here are some specific areas that we would love your perspective on:-What is the best way to accept money (application fee, deposit to hold, security deposit, etc.) from applicants if our business accounts are not set up yet?

You may also consider installing a security system that has glass break monitoring.

I purchased my first property under my personal name and secured a mortgage as a "second home", but the plan was really to rent it out as a STR.

For me, it added an extra level of security/ protection above the regular homeowners policy (injury, property damage etc). 

Or if you want to be more hands on, you can sell/trade options, and earn 1-2% weekly (cash secured put/covered call strategy). 

I am a FTHB and currently taking steps to secure a lender.