I have used equity in houses I own as the security via a second mortgage for the 20% down to buy other properties.

My goal is to learn wholesaling and buy and hold strategies to secure the future of my family.

An option is to partner your IRA funds with your own personal funds, but that gets a little tricky and we would need a call to discuss the specifics.Jared, let me make a little correction: the lender in a case of a default can not go after what is in the retirement plan, the underlying property is the only security for the loan.

After taking procession of a portfolio of assets, they secure the properties, make necessary cap improvements and then resell.The portfolio being offered consists of 35 units in seven buildings.

I'm currently managing my properties via a web based software which will soon be going out of business on March 31.

You can find it on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/Zv0ZphFrank also has another book called '10 Commandments for Real Estate Investors' that I reread every other month or so as a reminder: http://amzn.to/15ikXL0Ken McElroy has two great books on apartment investments and one on property management:The ABCs of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss http://amzn.to/HdXVf1The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing: How to Identify the Hottest Markets and Secure the Best Deals http://amzn.to/1bcWx50The ABC's of Property Management: What You Need to Know to Maximize Your Money Now http://amzn.to/1d518JKAlso see Ken's BP interview on Podcast 052: Buying Apartment Complexes, etc. here:http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/01/09/bp-podcast-052-raising-millions-ken-mcelroy-rich-dad/I think these are the place to start, but there's many more let me know if you'd like to see more.

I guess the first questions are 'what management software are you using?'

Apply the security deposit to whatever is damaged.

You will need to secure the hard money.

Then, I would never accept anything other than CASH for the entire security deposit and first month's rent.