Somehow, in a market that is not forgiving at all, many seem to think that buying a heavy rehab in the rust belt will lead to the foundation of a solid portfolio and sustainable success.

Check out your successful competition and see what they are doing that is working and use this as a guide to what you should be doing.

When they’re old enough to actually help, pay them legitimately, open Roth IRAs, and let compounding do the heavy lifting.Potential idea - use intra-family loans like chess pieces.

If the occupied duplex pays the bills, I’d avoid pausing everything; either phase the heavy rehab by systems with a tight scope and contractor draws, or use a rehab/bridge product that funds purchase plus most of the reno with interest‑only during construction, then refi on stabilized rents.

I have a few Airbnbs and know what we execute on to stand out but it just seems like there's WAY too much competition and the juice might not be worth the squeeze.We're trying to be within 10 minutes from the beach and downtown, which is putting us at a price point around $600K for a prospect property, but even with those numbers at 20% down w/ taxes/insurance, it doesn't seem worth it with the surrounding competition.

The challenge now is turning that W2-heavy profile into something that spins off tax-sheltered income.

Drive or Google‑Street‑View blocks near hospitals, universities, and major employers, but avoid tucked-away streets with poor visibility and heavy blight.

It tends to build competition.  

I'd love to see competitive pressure!!

With the rise of AI, we have a huge advantage over the competition.And not so much with the USE of AI, but in not using it.Handwritten letters are doing better than AI phone calls.In person appointments at the house h...