But, those of us who have been in the rental game for more than a couple of years know that cash flow is a myth with most rental properties no matter what the initial analysis shows.

If you want to see the original booking length, you might need to look for a column like "nights_booked" (if it's included) or calculate it by combining "nights" and "m_nights_altered" values to get the initial booking duration.This setup allows you to track changes in bookings over time, which can be especially useful for analyzing trends in stay modifications.

Hey @Jon PfluegerFirstly, great initiative to ask this question.

You cannot finance more than what wouldve been available in the initial purchase or use any improved value or new appraisal to increase the loan amount. 

I was initially leaning toward BRRRR since the equity would give me a kickstart for that process.

Initial rent was $575 per side.

Purchase price: $290,000 Cash invested: $100,000 Elizabeth Lake Property that was initial just a base hit property ended up being a huge win.

I would like to update my initial response.

I’m especially interested in house hacking as my first investment since it seems ideal for building cash flow, reducing expenses and gaining experience without heavy initial capital.Questions & Market Focus:I'm still learning, but I’m starting to research these four markets to understand which may be the best fit for house hacking.

This creates two loan payments ($100,000 of equity and $300,000 on the new mortgage).Key NumbersHome Equity Loan Interest Rate: 6%Mortgage Interest Rate: 7%Rental Income: $3,000 per monthExpenses (management, taxes, insurance, maintenance): $800 per monthIncome and ExpensesMonthly Rental Income: $3,000Monthly Expenses: $800Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,000ExplanationThe investor earns $3,000 in rent each month.They pay $2,000 on the investment property mortgage and $800 on other expenses.This leaves $200 profit each month or $2,400 per year.However, you have to pay $6,000 interest on the equity borrowed.This leaves you with an annual loss of $3,600.While the rental property generates positive monthly income, the interest cost of borrowing the initial $100,000 results in an overall annual loss.