I bought 15 houses with cash then pulled out the equity later to use to buy more and more.

House-hacking is definitely the way to go if you're just starting out.

What's important about investing in the City of Detroit is knowing the 183 Neighborhoods - which ones to target and which ones to avoid.Fortunately, we've made that easy for investors with our exclusive, color-coded map at our website:)

and if they do understand it but tell it to you anyway, do you think they are doing their best to give you the best solution for your situation or just trying to make a sell?   

Shopping online for building plans is a great way to gather ideas.

Looking to learn from your experiences so I can better serve clients—and maybe help others here avoid common lender-related pitfalls too.Appreciate any insights you’re willing to share!

We have used local credit unions to do that, @Ron Simoneau

I am interested in using these funds for an alternative real estate investment strategy outside of long term buy and hold rentals (tax lien, air bnb arbitrage, commercial, data center). 

Since you rarely get to pick your neighbors in real estate this seems like an opportunity to reduce the chances of having a bad stairwell neighbor in the future that could upset our existing tenants. 

buyer has no skin.. seller in second postion high risk.HML in first does not like borrower with no cash in it.. waste of time to even work on these scanrios.