Purchase price: $252,000 Cash invested: $25,000 Brick house, 4 bedroom, 2.5 Bath How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

It almost look like you a little or negative cash flow and look at tax benefit to justify keeping it. 

Based on the numbers you provided, your cost of capital is higher than your best case cash yield (cap rate).

No investor cash paybackNext build I will infuse about 50K cash working on construction loan.  

Purchase price: $235,000 Cash invested: $230,000 Sale price: $595,000 Property was a 3/2.

Thanks, Gary Neely Gary, Just use you standard state contract and write out the terms of your seller financing in an addendum or on the OTP itself if there's lines for additional provisions.Be clear and concise.Example,Seller will carry a promissory note secured by a 1st position mortgage in the amount $97,583.00, at 6% interest, amortized over 30 years, witha a maturity date and balloon payment due 10 years after the closing date.Hope this helps and certainly get an attorney involved if you are not comfortable drafting the language.  

If the sales price is $850k you will need significant down payment to carry the DSCR loan on $5300 current rents...check in with @Joseph Chiofalo  as DSCR loans 5+ units are typically a bit more difficult to place as well. 

Purchase price: $196,000 Cash invested: $8,500 Sale price: $325,000 I bought this home as a new construction home and made it my primary residence for about 1.5 years.

The barrier is the additional complexity - now you are operating two sets of books, and filing two tax returns, and have more operating agreements, more state registrations, etc, need to manage cash better, need to keep in constant mind that your rents need to be a supportable FMV, which may require getting third party certification on your rents so that in the event of an IRS audit, what you have done is supported.In short...the size of the project, and the taxable income, need to be of enough scope to make all the additional costs and annoyances worth it. 

The RTP area, comprising cities like Raleigh, Durham, and Cary, is an attractive option for several reasons:Strong job market and population growth, driven by the tech, research, and education sectors, ensuring consistent rental demand.More affordable home prices compared to Charlotte, allowing for better cash flow from rental income.Areas like Cary, Apex, and parts of Raleigh have newer construction townhomes/condos that fit your criteria.Potential for long-term equity growth, as the region is seeing steady appreciation.Some recommended areas to consider near RTP:Cary (especially newer developments like Amberly)ApexNorth RaleighDurham (for slightly lower prices)Charlotte is also a solid option, though it may be more expensive:Strong financial/banking sector driving job and population growth.Higher home prices but potentially higher rents as well.Newer townhome/condo developments in areas like Ballantyne, University City, and South End.Robust long-term equity growth potential, but higher entry costs.