Secondly, getting involved and getting around people actually doing deals that you can bounce situations off of will help tremendously as you're on this journey.

Through vertical integration a company can have one in-house PM manage multiple properties, when maybe only 1-2 properties need to off-set that expense.

It seems like there are several big engagers I can think of off the top of my head, then there's a consistent middle of the pack (I recognize their names) - these are all quality posters Then there is a slew of people who ask one question, have a few posts and never engage again.

The biggerpockets rental calculator is great, but sometimes the rent estimates are way off.

These reasons are probably why your model is looking a bit off.

DIY will be the "cheapest" - you can set up an account on the MA DOR website, register your LLC, you pay over the whopping $500 MA charges you to register an LLC, and voila, you are off to the races.

This means that the trustee holds the property in trust until the loan is paid off.

Saving money initially will allow you to purchase more units down the road.

Then the idea is that i will have the equity in the home after renovation to use as my "20%" when I refi, get the 80% back in cash and pay off my HELOC with it, then do it again.

You may also be better off looking in some less expensive markets in ME like Augusta or L/A for these types of deals since your downpayment will stretch a little farther.