With criminal backgrounds-I just keep an eye out for anything "Wierd"-as in particularly offenses against children or etc I implement a zero tolerance strict policy.

If you cannot consistently achieve at least a 10 to 15 percent premium that covers:• Furniture cost• Faster wear and tear• Higher turnover• Storage riskthen it is not worth it.What is your operational tolerance?

You asked should you pay off existing debts and buy the second property from a stronger position or buy the second property now with leverage and use cashflow to pay down the debt.First, having one paid off house can provide as much cashflow as two leveraged houses and your risk tolerance and sleep may prefer that.

The challenge is simply that your debt structure doesn’t align with rental economics right now.At the end of the day, this becomes less about the property itself and more about risk tolerance and cash reserves.

Not much of a BuyBox😶Try this:Motivation for Investing: _____________Risk Tolerance: HighMediumLowType of Investing:Wholesaling - How are you going to find motivated sellers willing to sell for LESS than market value?

You can get both if you're patient and pick your submarkets carefully.The real question behind this question is risk tolerance.

You’re not missing anything obvious — there are just multiple paths, each with different tradeoffs.A helpful way to think about it is separating equity access from investment strategy:1) Using equity:Most people in your position end up using either a HELOC or a cash-out refi to access a portion of that equity, but how much to use depends on risk tolerance and cash flow comfort — especially with a family.2) Where to deploy it:Staying in-market (CA) tends to be more appreciation-driven and capital-intensive, while out-of-state (like MI) is usually more cash-flow-focused and operationally dependent on good local execution.

Time horizon, involvement level, and risk tolerance tend to shape better first decisions than picking a specific strategy too early.

The 90K back in your pocket at refi is a real number and the 5% appreciation covers the negative cash flow with room to spare.Where I land differently is on the risk tolerance side.

I as an investor may decide that based on my risk appetite and risk tolerance, I want to pursue higher IRR riskier development deals that use high leverage.