Rather, it should be looked at as a bonus!

@Asa Hunt  also if I remember correctly if you do get 100% wiped out and you took bonus depreciation you may have a tax bill to consider at some point when that gets recaptured, so save back some funds to pay for that.I'm not the authority on all this, so if someone wants to correct me or prove me wrong, I'm open to learning.

Great bonus, $99 per year, travel/hotel points are easy to use, great customer service, etc.  

Bonus points if you can find a property that needs a little bit of cosmetic work done for a value add opportunity.

Maybe it's a bonus at work... maybe it's an inheritance... maybe a large tax refund.  

This can be accelerated with bonus depreciation so you can really get a head start with a hefty tax return and more cash on hand if you had a high paying W-2 job.

I'm looking for some guidance from folks who have been to this rodeo before, and bonus points if you've worked with Western Alliance Bank...before I spend a couple thousand without results.

If it's a 3 bedroom layout then I think you only need 2-2.5 baths and a family/bonus room area would be better.

Being protected in the transaction is a huge bonus to you, so it would be worth getting an agent involved. 

if its all your money and risk. then the 50 /50 split is not warranted at this level.I would want a better split for sure.. something like Hey we pay you set fee and a bonus but no way 5050 at least for me