Build and nurture as many relationships as possible so you can use the commission/extra income from these deals to put towards your next investment property!

Income, and solid foundation for future investments Lessons learned?

Furthermore, I'll happily introduce you to STR management companies in Atlanta if you're interested, but as we all know, this will cut your monthly income. 

If you can subsidize it with your W2 income for that long, it might be worth it for you.

Going full-time into real estate, especially with a family, is a big step, but starting small with smaller investments and side hustles while keeping your steady income is a smart way to go.

The city has a strong rental market driven by population growth, providing stable income streams for investors.

You can access the equity via a few different ways to purchase your next property (cash out refi / HELOC / etc.) and since you'll be doing everything by the book and all of your tenants will have leases, you can use those to help with your DTI (debt to income) for future purchases.There's a lot there.

If it's DTI and they are giving you a hassle on using rental income from the departing residence - you can usually work around this by ordering an appraisal on that property or showing a lease agreement dated after your departure.

From what I understand so far, the asset matters more than the borrower's income BUT many lenders have a "net-worth" requirement.

In my opinion: Your current income is a major factor.