But the low rents are what makes the percentage a better deal than a retainer. 

My last few offers were to be STRs that had income that met the 2% monthly rent ratio.  

It shouldn't be hard to replace your server income with something real estate related. 

It is unwise to chase the carrot of real estate with 2K in savings and income being inconsistent.

   $100k in New Jersey is all I had to my name when I first started,  I  used a low money down loan purchases $500k property and turned it into an $800k property, today it is valued over $1.1m. 

Investing in real estate through a self-directed IRA, a Solo 401(k) like Aaron mentioned, or even certain life insurance policies can be a smart way to grow your money while keeping taxes low.

It’s not “passive income.”

Your problem is you won’t get owner occupied low down payments on the properties.

Get your cousin who does sheetrock work, your wife's cousin who works for a foundation company, your other cousin who paints for a contractor and you have a team.If low income housing is all you know, it might be the thing that is the biggest thing in your life.

Since many of these homes were bought during 2020 to 2022, there are plenty of opportunities with lower equity positions AND low rates, allowing investors to come in with little cash to close (often under 10%), while locking in a significantly lower payment vs. traditional investment loans.A few things to know:• Non veterans CAN assume a VA loan, but the seller has to agree to leave that portion of their VA entitlement tied up with the loan.