Hi Marc, thanks for the reply.

How can I correct cashflow issues if I have 3 properties?

On Real Estate Rookie Youtube we just released a new Rookie Reply episode that has a question pertaining to First Time Home buyer's.

Your specific variable expense assumptions are wrong, BUT you stumbled into them being correct overall.Also, you are approaching this correctly - entering in the numbers to generate a purchase price that meets your metrics:)

Agree Google nmls - funny on Facebook where 99% of private lending groups that are public are scam artists you get the "well license isn't required"I reply to this noting that while you are correct in some states - chances of a scammer with a nmls license are less than 1% while those without is 99% on sociale media 

When I ask others at my local meet ups they just reply with "I've been doing it for a while" or "lots of practice."

Nothing illegal about doing that, but if caught, the lender may call the loan due and if you don't correct the situation or pay the loan off, they willstart mortgage foreclosure.3) You could also go the HELOC route to tap the equity in the home, but the 12-month owner-occupancy will also apply AND the interest rate on the HELOC will fluctuate with the Fed Fund Rate.4) You could do a cashout refi as an investment property, but that will be at an interest rate 0.5-1% higher than owner-occupied rate.Suggest you meet with 2-3 lenders to explore your options about the above.Once you have access to funds, recommend you buy a 2-4 unit with 20-25% down. - You can buy owner-occupied, live in one unit, and fix up and rent the other unit(s).- If you're handy, recommend buying a property in the worst condition you can tolerate.

Quote from @Sean O'Keefe: Correct, California is uniqueThis is a rather diplomatic statement, Sean  ;) 

Yes, that is correct.

Hey Victor, Thanks for the reply.