@Chris Eidson it takes a good deal of local experience to answer this question, but I will try to from a Milwaukee perspective.When I evaluate a street I pay attention to the following:- curb appeal of the homes; does the street feel "homy", would someone want to live here?

As the owner, all the equity is yours, but you'd absolutely need to offer terms (interest rate, duration, etc.) that are sufficiently appealing to make your money partner want to do the deal with you rather than someone else.Two big advantages of private lender financing are speed and negotiable finance terms.

The reason is because I live in a very expensive market, and am therefore looking to purchase properties outside of my market.I plan to know as much about the property as possible before putting it under contract, including:Having a local agent walk through the property and send me a detailed video & photosHave a general contractor walk through the property and provide a repair estimate (along with photos of all items that will need to be fixed so I have a visual reference)Are there any other tips you would recommend?

100% real estate sounds appealing but I'm so used to hearing the script about investing in low-cost index funds and putting as much money in as possible - the sooner/younger the better.

There is a ton of new development going on South of Austin (Kyle, San Marcos) so that may appeal to you but the better buys are in San Antonio and Round Rock, etc.

The only thing that isn’t appealing to me is the percentage of the profit going to Uncle Sam, which I know is inevitable!

I am aggressively looking for my first investment property-the most appealing option is buying and holding a property.

Would certainly be an appreciation aspect to the Brownstone play which is part of the appeal.

The nice thing about this property is in the off season, its a winter wonderland and I think it has great appeal that way - very secluded yet close to water.

This makes your offer of cash more appealing and you then only pay financing charges to the bank one time upon your refi.