@Natalie SchanneWhy did the flood insurance make such a big impact?

You should probably have 5% in there as a default if you don't know what is common in the area.There are some things to make sure of when investing in a condo1) Are rentals allowed.2) read the reserve study carefully.3) read the bylaws to make sure there's nothing weird in there.Main thing though is that the health of the HOA has a MASSIVE impact on the value of the property.

These places may be more or less prone to season slowdowns, but surely not free from them.One of the best things we've learned to process through in rehab is this:  which items are going to be hard or slow during the winter (example:  exterior paint, pouring concrete, and many other things outside) and which won't be impacted (interior paint, kitchen rehabs, bathroom rehabs, etc.) 

However, they must work harder/smarter to ensure their identified risks don't actually happen or the impact is minimized.

Military life can have a big impact on spousal income too.

Second big impact is credit card utilization and keeping it under 10%. 

But the smaller expenses can quickly add up and impact your bottom line.

I’d recommend you start your inMultiple mortgages will impact your credit....but not enough of an issue where you can’t continue to borrow.

Make sure you budget and negotiate for an environmental review.

If you do go the SDIRA route to invest in other flips, look into Checkbook Control IRAs, because the SDIRA transaction fees & speed will impact your numbers.