That said, both items above do need at least one trustworthy pair of boots on the ground.

As for funding — an equity line works, but pairing that with private lending/bridge capital could let you move on $600K–$700K deals quickly without tying up all your own cash.

What creative strategies have you found effective in 2025?.

From my experience, most new investors do best by keeping some reserves on hand while also chipping away at debt so they’re not overleveraged going into their first property.Your target of ~$30K in reserves sounds realistic, especially paired with a VA loan, since you won’t need as much upfront for the down payment.I’ve worked with a few new investors in a similar spot, and what helped them most was creating a clear framework for financing and deal analysis so they went into their first purchase with confidence.

Personally, I’ve seen some of the best deals come from local connections paired with consistent lead tracking tools.

HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage PLUS Second MortgageThis is a forgivable second mortgage for down payment and closing cost assistance, which must be paired with Florida Housing's conventional loan products.

Thanks for sharing.Confused though, as you posted that mass texting lost much of its effectiveness by late 2022, but then state you send 10k outbound texts daily?

What I’m seeing with clients now is exactly what you mentioned: as markets rebalance, the best opportunities are often paired with smart tax and capex planning.

Hey @Bryan Johns - I agree with others that there could absolutely be short-term tax value in putting the structures into service before demolition.If you use the property (even temporarily) in an active trade or business (like storage rental to another business you own) then the structures may qualify as depreciable assets, and with 100% bonus depreciation now back in effect (under the new law for properties acquired after Jan 19, 2025), you could potentially write off a large portion of that $250K improvement value in year one.The key is that the structures need to be placed in service (i.e., actively used in a business) before you demo them.

The profitability of a HomeVestors franchise can certainly vary based on a number of factors.What I can tell you is that we have franchisees who've achieved significant success, and like any business, some individuals find it's just not the right fit for them.