Thanks @Russell Brazil!

The Charlotte market is nuts.

As a general rule these days with good credit you can qualify for a mortgage (PITI) payment that is:Max PITI = (50% of your gross - other loan obligations (like car, student loan, etc))  Other obligations does not include things like Gas or utilities etc.In this way you should cover most or all of the mortgage and expense with rent, get experience as a landlord, and still have a nice nut to invest elsewhere once you are autopilot with the house hack.Good luck you are in a great position

@Bill Gulley What do you think about learning about the actual nuts and bolts of house construction?

I saw a lot of people who were looking at taking losses or just breaking even on their slow flips get saved by that rapid come up in prices that boosted your profits. 2.5 years process though, that would drive me nuts.

Better returns, educational and broadens your skill set.The traditional turnkey option if you are not interested in the nuts and bolts of the business.

IMO buying and renting for appreciation is nuts, buy for cash flow.

Originally posted by @Russell Brazil:@Jay Hinrichs funny story on a similar subject....I had an open house yesterday, and one of the neighbors came in and asking what I charge and I told her...and she went into this tirade about how I was ripping this seller off...I said well my seller is my wife, I'll pass along those concerns to her that Im charging her too much lol.all in the family my wife is our listing agents on our deals in Oregon.. but I pay full commish to agents in many markets. that big one on 7 new st in Charleston I closed last month I negotiated that one down to 4% total.. but that was a 2.2 mil deal and the agent walked out with 88k in their jeans.. 

As a matter of fact, I need my next project or I’ll go nuts doing only my day job. 

@Russel Brazil, 8% is an awesome APR for a Hard Money loan.