Appreciation is nice, but it shouldn’t override your scaling plan.Yes, West Town / Ukrainian Village is the stronger appreciation play.But appreciation is bonus wealth, not buying power.If your immediate goal is to acquire again quickly, smoother underwriting is going to move the needle far more than theoretical appreciation.4.

Although not that complicated, seller finance deals can be a needle in a haystack to find and you will usually need a big down payment in order to make it appealing to a seller, and if you are under-capitalized you ca. get into trouble, so it may not be the best strategy given your cash position.  3.

Here’s what I’ve seen work in markets like Boston, Worcester, Lowell, Manchester, Portsmouth, and Portland: Cash flowIf you buy a single family with four or five bedrooms or a two family where each side has three or four bedrooms, renting by the room can turn an average deal into something that actually moves the needle.

So you can either get the same or better return (risk adjusted) investing in a mortgage fund, pool or REIT, or try to find that “needle in a haystack” outlier.Paying full loan balance for a note is not where the real ROI is; it’s purchasing a note at significant discount to remaining loan balance and “working” the note.  

But they are ever so rare today, not just a needle in a haystack but more so finding a specific color of needle, with a specific bend to it, in a stack of needles in a hay barn....... 

Before S-corp:- Income tax: $85k- FICA / SE tax: $16k- Total: $101kWith an S-corp:- Income tax: $75k- FICA / SE tax: $13k- Total: $88kWe still have $13k of savings, but with a completely different breakdown which makes no sense whatsoever: suddenly a reduction in income tax (which I said would not happen) while virtually no SE tax savings (which should have happened).7.

Candid take: outside a top program or a legal career path, the JD/MBA rarely moves the needle for operators; deal reps, mentors, and a tight track record do.

I’ve been having more conversations with lenders lately and one theme keeps coming up:track record unlocks leverage, but no one seems to agree on what milestones matter most.For those of you who have scaled from your first MF acquisitions into larger, higher-leverage opportunities:What moved the needle with lenders the fastest?

Reality check:With $20K out of pocket, cosmetic-only rehab, and full cash-out after refi — you’re threading a very fine needle.

Fix it with a simple system: pick one clear target for the next 90 days, block two power hours on your calendar weekly for only high‑leverage tasks analyzing deals, making offers, building your team, and hold yourself accountable with a quick weekly review what moved the needle, what didn’t, what’s next.