It was a fight for sure, but we were able to use the STR income because we had good history of it on Schedule E.

Good on you for using some common sense and intuition.“… do private lenders typically have a website or any way to verify who they are?

I thought it sounded too good to be true also. 5 years later, I'm thrilled that I did my homework.

I use MyFax - I've used them for years with good success and no problems.

Good day everyone.

With your price point I'd look for a duplex that is 350k or so, but if all you can do is a good house to start, then start there. 

Indeed is a good resource for hiring. 

@Jorge MartínezIf the builder is offering incentives to buy down your interest rate and if there is some negotiation room on price the new builds can be a good investment because you'll have a lower monthly payment and new builds usually come with some type of warranty and will have lower maintenance cost because everything is new.

I've been adding more properties (which is a good thing) so they probably got to a point where they had to charge me. 

I have a generally good idea of the area and its value.