I would not expect meaningful appreciation going forward.

Cap rate (NOI/Price) isn't a meaningful metric for you here: You instead want cash-on-cash return (Cash_Flow/All-In_Investment), which tells you the rate of cash returned on your invested cash.

Going to every single meetup and group remotely related to the industry, not just going once but consistently every month so that I have been able to build meaningful relationships.

$4K moves (at one time) would be meaningful when you are around half the price point you are at.What are your monthly holding costs?

When you stop a meaningful conversation with a friend/significant other to look up new leads online.

Do you engage with their branding in a meaningful way?

ROI and returns are only relevant if they do the following:1) Provide greater returns per the work involved than the next best thing you can do with your money2) Are meaningful relative to your financial positionThink about this logically - if you have the "opportunity" to purchase a case of 50 waters for $20, and sell them for $2 apiece outside of the ballpark, you earn an "ROI" of 500% and 5x your investment.That's a smart move for someone with only $20, but a total waste of time for someone considering real estate, likely with $10, $20, or even $100K in savings.The same, however, applies in real estate investing with the different investments available to us.

I hope you know how much I appreciate the kind words, it's deeply meaningful coming from you sir!

Also, look for people who have house hacked and spark up a conversation about your plans.

LudmilaNone of them if you plan on paying off every month and not carrying a balance, instead just get a Spark Card, or a Citi Bank Double Cash credit card, each of them is a pure 2% cash back on all purchases.If you're going to carry a balance, I can't help you.