I'm looking to do a personal project of mine where i'll be building my own personal residence and decided to do it with just straight cash, and the idea was to cash-out refinance the property after it's completed.

It's all about building a team, and taking action. 

Hi Alex,  There is a builder in the Kissimmee/Davenport area that builds for investors specifically.

But I would certainly never discourage anyone from investing in rentals if they are truly passionate about building a side hustle business.

I would focus on the flip and building capital before you try and upgrade the primary.

Hi Michael,It is great that you are doing this together, I read some great tips on here, something I wanted to add:I have been checking a lot of 2-4 units, in the past it was not easy to find them in good areas.During COVID, a lot of investors decided to build these types of units which is great, but not all builders are great, I had a client, he purchased 2 duplexes in the same area, we had some pricy maintenance issues, one was with the plumbing.

Attend your local REI meetups, build up a strong network, and feel free to reach out and connect with everyone in the community.

The end result is I have people looking to help me build my business that I only have to pay when they get results. 

CPA/client relationship is definitely is something that needs careful consideration because want to find something that is the best fit for you in terms of risk tolerance level as well as budget.I just helped BP actually build out a CPA finder page so if you are still looking, check out that page to see service providers that have experience in working with RE investors https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/tax-and-financ...

Markets where building is unrestricted the appreciation will be slower.