The past 3 months were a very humbling experience and thankfully we had the ability to solve the problems without borrowing funds.

Do not be discouraged by an applicant telling you 3x monthly rent is not realistic.

As you begin to close deals, you will then start to really build your real buyers list.In real estate, when somebody doesn't have experience, bringing the "deal" is your most powerful weapon.

But I figured I could share some experiences that might help others.

We let him, and he sucked at it so that was the end of that experiment.

If you do go with an accountant, make sure to vet their experience.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a real estate agent that has experience with VA Loans (specifically- assumable VA loans)?

@Jeremy H.It’s definitely high risk for people who have no experience running a business.If you don t know anything about managing and marketing STVRs stick to LTRs.

There's a ton of information available on these forums if you're ever unsure about anything, take a look around, chances are another person has encountered the same issues and share their experiences on here.

Speaking as a lender (not investor) with some experience in small balance commercial lending, I can tell you that it is likely going to be tough to find financing most likely as a lot of commercial lenders tend to stay away from churches, although could be more favorable if the building is true retail/office rather than a structure built specifically in the style of a traditional church (i.e. hard to transition to other tenants if needed)