If you’re trying it with property already being publicly  available, the task just became geometrically more difficult with a similarly lower success rate.  

What do you think are the best markets to invest in outside of TX and CA to get the same appreciation with a lower cost of entry into the market?  

@Yasmin Sharbaf if it’s not new construction, your agent would usually have shown you current tax records including what they list as square footage, especially if that was a known concern of yours.

Do they leverage the purchase for taxes and depreciation?

Hi All,As I look at my options to finance my first RE deal, I was researching the early withdrawal penalty from TSP (Federal equivalent to 401K) and just learned that I can take out a TSP loan with no penalty, no tax impact and just have to pay it off with interest (seems to be 4-5% range right now) within 60 months. 

Tax Write OffsSo even if you aren't getting the positive cash flow, you are potentially making it up in the other ways.

Plan on living there between 1-2 yrs while making improvements, and renting out other parts of the house if possible.  2 years for tax benefits, 1 year for lender obligation before you move on to another purchase.

Roth funds can be withdrawn tax/penalty free.

Seller's affidavits about BK,  liens, taxes, no new liens in last days should have been ready to go yesterday.

When did buyer's agents start training on  buying "off market" without agents, subject to, wraps, seller financing, lease options, land contracts, fix & flips, rentals, taxes, asset protection, etc, etc, etc.