I’m a Data Scientist living in Los Angeles, and must invest out-of-state.

After paying closing costs, title fees, appraisal, origination, underwriting, processing, legal and other fees, the typical refinance costs about 1.75 - 2.5% of the loan amount just in closing costs (obviously before people yell at me, this varies drastically by state, but having done loans all over the country I find this to be a pretty accurate estimate).  2) Keeping the average 2% cost in mind and the fact that people typically refinance when rates drop about .75% - 1% or more, I wanted to see if paying an extra point now when I was already paying all the closing costs to buy the rate down made sense. 1 point can get you between .5% - .625% off the rate depending on the days pricing and the coupon you are pricing. 

Property ARV: $450kTotal in: $350kMonthly rent: $4000Monthly taxes & insurance: $530[Loan 1] (via broker)75% LTV1.5% origination fee ($5062)Other fees: $1595 underwriting + $1295 processing (=$2890)Interest rate (floating): 7.25%5 years PPPMonthly P&I: $2,278Rent - PITI = $1,192***If appraisal comes back high enough, may be possible to do 80% LTV at 7.99%[Loan 2] (direct lender)70% LTVNO origination feeOther fees: $1,395 underwriting + $695 processing (=$2090)Interest rate (will not change): 7.375% 5 years PPPMonthly P&I: $2,152Rent - PITI = $1318---------------------------I really like how there's no origination fee with lender #2 so I get to keep more of the money I pull out.

Hi,I've invested in Greenville texas and wanted to connect with other investors that have invested there that I can network with.

Currently I'm listening to "ABCs of Real Estate Investing" and I've subscribed to the BiggerPockets podcast. 

Originally I used Mint, then Personal Capital, followed by Mint again.

Now, I'm looking to venture into real estate investment for several reasons:Diversify my investment portfolioBuild generational wealthLower my taxable incomeMy Investment Criteria:Buy and Hold Strategy: I'm focused on long-term investments.Cash Flow: Not a priority for me; I don’t need the income from these properties, even in retirement.Acquisition Pace: I plan to acquire one or two properties per year.

My question is ... if I would like to keep doing this or work in fix and flips or other forms of real estate investing, how should I structure an actual business?

I saw in my local newspaper about a home going up for foreclosure and I think it has the possibility of being a good starter investment for me.

How do PMLs evaluate the potential of a real estate investment differently from banks?