@Matt RollinsSince your goal is to replace your W2 income through real estate within 10 years, starting with a house hack is a smart move, but Utah’s high prices may make it challenging to cash flow.

Currently, I live in Utah.

I am looking to buy a property in SLC Utah that i would want to try and run as a STR to help offset the cost.

With the 1031 account, we bought 1 house in Utah for $315,000 (payed $150,000 in mortgage) and are about to close on another in Ohio for $105,000 (all cash from 1031 account).

But my personal experience tells me that this usually won’t be found in a national program run by the real estate marketing boys out of Las Vegas or Provo, Utah.  

I know a lot of spots in Utah have very good REIAs.

States which DO NOT require licensing for originating or negotiating a loan secured by commercial real estate nor a loan secured by non owner occupied residential real estateALASKA ARKANSAS COLORADO CONNECTICUT DCDELAWARE FLORIDA GEORGIAHAWAIIIOWAINDIANAKANSAS KENTUCKY INDIANAKANSAS LOUISIANAMASSMARYLAND MAINEMISSOURI MISSISSIPPI MONTANANORTH CAROLINA NEBRASKANEW HAMPSHIRE NEW MEXICO OHIOOKLAHOMA PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE TEXAS WASHINGTON WISCONSINWEST VIRGINIAStates which DO NOT require licensing for originating or negotiating a loan secured by commercial real estate but DO require licensing for a loan secured by non owner occupied residential real estateIDAHO MINNESOTA OREGON UTAH VIRGINIA States that DO require licensing for both residential and commercial real estate loan origination and brokeringARIZONACALIFORNIAILLINOIS MICHIGANNEW YORK NORTH DAKOTA NEW JERSEY NEVADASOUTH DAKOTA Does this still hold true for 2025? 

A few years ago Salt Lake County has 30,000 acres left and Utah County had 250,000.

The people in medium and small towns in Idaho, Utah, WYO, Montana are pretty much the same. 

Utah leads at 84.2, while Louisiana ranks last at 8.4.