I see this is an older post (better late than never) Usually 1% of the purchase price is reasonable.

I actually have done personally exactly what you're describing - HELOC on primary residence, use that to purchase new primary, move into new primary and rent the previous home(4 times in 5 years).

2) Do you hire a property management company before or after you purchase the property? 

I am consistently helping my investor clients purchase move in ready 3/2/2 SFR's here for less than $300K.

All cashflow after that will go directly to your bank account.When you make contributions from SDIRA on the other hand, you don't get to enjoy the cashflow and all profits right away since all proceeds go directly back into the IRA account and you end up paying taxes when you are ready to cash out.My question is what method do most investors prefer to go with when investing in syndications ? 

If you can swing it and are willing to do what it takes to not lose the property if sh** hits the fan, then I would highly suggest purchasing in a more desirable area. 

I just purchased a unit in the Mount Vernon area close to Ft.

I have 10 acres of raw land that I purchased to put a house on that already has a well, power and septic available. 

There's always the more expensive reverse 1031 exchange but need to be able to purchase on the front end before selling. 

Hi, Frank, if the seller only has one year of income and expense data, how can we figure out the right number to purchase?