But at this point in the market you'll probably find that you'll get there more quickly with less cost if you buy the first and hold, then 1031 into a new one and etc etc.Basically change the flip game from buy fix flip to buy fix rent evaluate for sale.  

@Sarah SimoninMost hard money lenders want proof of experience or serious skin in the game.

Judging by the fact that you’ve already won a state-wide math competition, I’m guessing that math is both something you enjoy and something you’re good at.In that case, you’re definitely in the right place.But real estate is just as much a people game as it is a numbers game.

This way you can have your finger on the pulse of the market and be on top of the game.

Welcome to the BP forums and to the investment game that pays you to play!

But be persistent, patient, and just stay in the game, and stay encouraged.  

This is a classic bureaucratic strategy played out over and over and over again across the country by legislators that refuse to live within budget constraints that the rest of us must live by. 

Are you in this RE game for the long run and want to have as much of passive income or you want to make fast money?

It's all a numbers game, and the most successful investors invest in the markets where they get the best returns!

Hopefully this helps, I am new to this game myself so I will try and share whatever info I can.