I’m here to absorb as much as I can, connect with like-minded people, and start laying a solid pathway toward financial independence.Right now, I’m focusing on:Understanding buy-and-hold rental strategies.Learning how to evaluate deals and run the numbers confidently.Building a long-term plan that’s stable, realistic, and sustainable.I’m not rushing into anything — I’m here to learn the right way, build relationships, and avoid the mistakes beginners often make.A little about me:I care deeply about creating stability for my family and friends.I’m working on becoming more disciplined and confident with real estate investing and budgeting.I appreciate communities where people share honestly about what works and what doesn’t when getting started.I’m looking forward to:Connecting with others who can share their experience starting from scratch.Hearing your stories about your first deals, successful or not.Learning how you built confidence to take action.Understanding which strategies worked for you in the early stages.Possibly working with a mentor who can assist me in my first deal.Thank you all for the knowledge you share, the transparency, and the community.

I believe you can count on one hand the number of homes on the southern oregon coast that have sold for 4 mil or more.. its an ULTRA thin market at those price points.

It can be tough to hold if your incoming revenue suffers a large decline.My market had ~40% decline in value but fortunately the rents had no significant decline and we were not over leveraged.  

Believe me, your money you borrowed is not being protected by anyone, on the contrary, people can't wait to get their hands on it.

As Jackie mentioned, entry prices there are typically lower, but rental rates often hold steady with what you see in Jacksonville or Orange Park (just across the bridge).

@Ashish Acharya, @Nicholas Aiola, @Dave Foster, @David Orr, @Jason Watson, @Natalie Kolodij, @Bernard ReiszFriends, based on my prior failed attempts to address this issue offline, nobody really wanted to hold this hot potato in their hands.

The Criminals on the other hand are a bigger issue.

Loan is 413k, that had to have a heft holding cost to it.  3500/month for 6 months? 

Ward III Really great checklist, completely agree that readiness drives confidence with lenders.A few elements we’ve found helpful to include as well:▪ Sensitivity analysis on DSCRJust a quick look at how the deal holds up under different rate or OpEx scenarios.Shows we’re realistic about what’s changing in the market.▪ Institutional OpEx benchmarksA one-liner that ties expenses to actual operator averages helps align expectations early.▪ Brief risk/mitigation bulletsDoesn’t need to be heavy, just shows we’ve already thought through the downside.Those couple of additions have made conversations with lenders much more efficient on our end, especially when moving from preliminary interest to real underwriting.Appreciate you sharing this, would definitely like to take a look at your full checklist PDF as well.

Here's what I tell my investor clients: Buy and hold is a long term strategy.