For me it’s been a blessing and money well spent.

If you don’t want to spend money I’m pretty sure you could get someone to grade the surrounding dirt and add some gutters for your $5k discount and gain you will have added value and come out ahead.

If you want higher growth then Cleveland and Dayton type markets with $100-150k prices may be better suited.I would encourage BRRRRs after your 1-2nd so you can recycle your money.

For now I would not waste the money if you are not renting it out.

Let’s talk strategies to help all of us keep more of our hard-earned money!

Pittsburgh is a good market to make money in now cash flow wise and has good upside as well if you know what you are doing. 

In-person interactions are great for building trust with potential investors.Real Estate Platforms:BiggerPockets: A robust platform for connecting with private lenders and investors.Fund That Flip, PeerStreet, Groundfloor: Online platforms connecting investors with real estate projects.Social Media Groups: Facebook and LinkedIn groups dedicated to real estate investing often have private investors or lenders looking to connect.Personal Network: Often overlooked, but friends, family, and colleagues may know individuals interested in investing.Private Money Brokers: If you're working on wholesaling deals, you may find brokers who have established relationships with private money lenders.Real Estate Agents: Some agents have connections with private investors, especially those focused on investment properties.For your 50% LTV, it's good to approach investors who may be interested in lower-risk, high-equity deals.

At that value, you'll make the money back on resale, if not also on the appraisal. 

My plan is to buy the house subject to their existing mortgage, renovate the property, refinance it and pay off their remaining loan balance using the money from the cash out refinance.

Residential loans where borrowers do not need money but want the money (ie. they could have paid cash but want to have some leverage).AVOID:1.