From a practical stand point look at the risks: - NJ is a NOTORIOUSLY tenant friendly state!!! 

Your criteria is solid, and PA can work well for exactly what you’re describing, especially if you stay disciplined on neighborhood selection and rent-to-price.We do a lot of business in the Lehigh Valley, so a few practical notes on Allentown and nearby areas:Allentown can cash flow, but it is block by block.The same zip code can swing from stable to headache fast.

Jose, this is well-thought-out and you’re asking the right questions early, which already puts you ahead of most first-time investors.A few practical thoughts based on what you laid out:• Your instinct to anchor the first deal as a foundation rather than a home run is the right mindset.

In practice, a few things tend to cause problems later:* Earnest money going hard before the true approval path is clear* Entitlement periods that don’t align with realistic review timelines* Assumptions that discretionary steps will be “routine” or fast* Pricing anchored to a future unit count that hasn’t been de-risked yetNone of these automatically make a deal bad.

In practice, lenders who understand both small commercial income and residential collateral tend to be the most flexible, and keeping early deals simple and conservative usually makes scaling easier.

You don't have to cover the fees, you just have to make them look low.Instant Booking: pushes your property out to all of our other platforms (Expedia Group).I had to practically give away a 9 day booking last December on VRBO because they stacked together several discounts.

Not sure how those apprasials come in like that.. but then sometimes they come in way low and the BRRR client needs to feed the deal to pay us off.Also I find in some markets its just SOP no matter what you ask for the property offers are going to come in lower than ask just as a standard practice in that particular market..

Even indirect or unintentional benefits can trigger a prohibited transaction.Frequent problem areas: Lending to family members or controlled entities Personally guaranteeing an IRA loan Paying IRA expenses with personal funds Personally managing or “fixing” IRA-owned assetsBest-practice reminder:Treat the IRA as a completely separate legal and financial silo.

The goal is simple: turn overlooked or underperforming properties into income-producing assets using practical, creative strategies.I’m actively building toward purchasing my first property in Q3 or Q4 of 2026 and am currently on track to become a licensed Virginia real estate agent.If you’re an investor, agent, or homeowner interested in connecting, collaborating, or partnering, my DMs are open.

Same taxpayer on both sides, and the replacement should be held for investment.Best practical tipDo not let the exchange force you into a bad deal.