Or should I explore out of state?

Right now I'm exploring the possibility of buying a property that needs more work, flipping it and then converting it to condo.

I briefly explored this in the lower mainland and it's very hard for the numbers to work.

My advice- Keep the following options open as you explore West Town & the Lower West SideExpand your search to the Near West Side- There are some opportunities.

Your exploration of the ideas here is all valid.

I'd like to explore multifamily properties in Texas and need an experienced agent to assist.

I realize that there may not be any geological engineers here, but I figure that some of you may be familiar enough to give me a ballpark of whether building is worth exploring or not.

New construction is something I am looking to explore in the future.

if you want to house hack, I would suggest moving to an area that rent to value allows for 2% or better for a while, cost of living is lower there too, and its fun to explore new palaces. besides the tax benefits of almost anyplace other than CA are huge. my rule is never leverage more than 60% LTV (after repaired) this allows a 20% market correction buffer and still keep 20% equity for conventional secondary market if you ever need to refi. you create this with a GREAT deal. for example I buy SFR's only, I like my all In after repairs to be $35K with a value of $70K and never borrow more than $42K.  

We're exploring single family and small multi-family properties in the Portland, Maine area for investment as rental properties.Can anyone recommend an investor-friendly buyer's agent in the area?