Management was simple when I lived locally, and I used my own licensed contractors to keep pricing reasonable.

Two quick moves: pick one lane for the first deal (simple buy‑and‑hold or a light rehab) and set a tight buy box so you’re not chasing Austin and Shreveport at once; then sanity‑check rents and expenses with a local PM in your chosen market before you underwrite anything.Given your $25k, which market do you want to test first, and what’s your buy box for that first property?

Start a System for 2026 Before January HitsEven simple workflows—monthly reconciliations, consistent document storage, and automation tools—can make next year far easier.Year-end bookkeeping doesn’t have to be stressful.

I've almost exclusively switched over to Build 2 Rent but I took on this project for one simple reason.... 

Keep things simple and don’t spend money on stupid stuff

If you’re still relying 100% on Airbnb for your midterm rentals, you’re leaving a lot of control — and profit — on the table.Here’s what’s worked for me and my coaching clients:-Create a simple branded site (even a Google Business page helps).

Pick one simple Houston buy box (area, property type, price/rent range), learn the numbers that make a deal work, then run a daily noise-to-numbers routine so you underwrite a handful and make at least one offer a week.

crap I just wrote a long response and the site went down so here is the crib notes.1. ton of competition for investor dollars so investors look for highest returns and work backwards.2. sophisticated investors look at returns as a function of risk.3. less experinced investor tend to be bigger risk takers.4. to raise money one needs verifiable back ground and a deal that is simple to describe.

It reveals so much of what you don’t have or at least simple things especially in the kitchen.  

Private money is a great way to start, but the key is keeping the structure simple so the deal doesn’t get bogged down.