There is a good chance we will set up a second home base outside the US. 

It's not that difficult to navigate through based on my experiences with my clients, easy to use and setup.

Their scripts/list of questions should be short and to the point... then, you'll follow up with the warm/serious leads.If you're getting into social media and possibly SEO marketing, check out platforms like SEM rush that can provide great insights, analytics, suggestions, and more.Hopefully, the BP community can weigh in regarding other lead source options.

I know there are a couple loans/programs like an FHA loan that are available to starters like me, but are there more options? 

I’ve been doing some research on the property tax and haven’t been able to find a crystal clear answer other than the base 6%.

I'm currently weighing my options between using cash from my HELOC or getting a private money loan for the purchase and rehab of a property.

I wonder if I could deduct mortgage interest based on the basement's proportion to the entire house (1,600/(1,600+2,000)).

Here are the details:Assumable loan balance: $750k at 2.75%List price: $950kDownpayment needed: $200k to cover the differenceMy initial plan to make this deal work included a few options:Getting a loan for the $200k difference.Bringing in a partner.Asking for seller financing.However, when I discussed these options with my agent, I hit a few roadblocks:Second Mortgage: My agent said no bank would provide a second position loan for the $200k.Seller Financing: He mentioned that 99% of sellers would reject this, though we're asking anyway.Agent's Advice: He suggested I just get a conventional loan and put 5% down for the full $950k, but I feel this defeats the purpose of leveraging the assumable loan.Given these challenges, I’m trying to figure out the best way to raise the $200k.

Some of the more eco-friendly options can put out significantly less...

@Emma Hustiswell, they're separate - you'd negotiate the price and terms with the seller, and now that's your mortgage payment (principal and interest, or P&I)then, you plug that mortgage payment in, as an expenseso, use a mortgage calculator first to generate the monthly payment, based on the seller financing termshope this helps