Smartest Way to Finance REI? Planning ahead.

[Ernesto Hernandez]

Hey everyone, long story made short, I want to plan ahead wisely. 

I'm about 2 months in to serious studying (about 6 books and countless podcasts). I plan on flying to the Midwest in a few months and I'm wearing my take off. 

I want to plan ahead wisely and leave some room for a SFR with my soon to be fiance in a couple years at most. In the meantime, I don't want to wait that long to dive in.

My question is, what type of wiggle room should I leave myself? Our combined income are 200k and our savings are strong. I have one mortgage in my name that my mom makes the payments on. 

How should I move forward while not putting myself in a position to where I would make it hard for myself to get a 600k ish home in the next couple of years. 

What type of things do lenders look for? I can pull money from the equity in my first home, my brokerage account, my 401k (as a loan from and to myself) and Cash reserves that will continue to rise.

Thanks!