And a deal in my opinion is one that will 1. pay for itself(All property expenses) and 2. pay the debt service(if necessary) and 3. put money into my pocket each month.  

I've learned a lot since then have become a private money lender and have done a lot of deals.

Chris, when you say 95% of brokers are eliminated for not being able to provide successful transaction references, are you referring to actual mortgage brokers, or are you referring to the people that attend a “cash flow” seminar and believe  the easy money hype? 

Or is the money better spent elevating the master experience overall? 

As always, please remember to research and seek profession counsel..the money you save and grief you save is truly your own.

It's a great way to increase your net worth and these loans can also be used to pull cash out of a property as it appreciates allowing you to reinvest money into new deals.Happy to connect to discuss further. 

While I will still lose money on it in the long run, I'm at least breaking even on it monthly and no longer have the headache of it. 

Insurance is definitely one of the parts that can be creative and save you a lot of money!

You probably don't run many applications, so I wouldn't sweat losing a little money on each one.

Between carrying costs, having to potentially raise equity and/or utilizing debt during the pre-development period  had I settled plus associated time, I  probably would have spent a similar amount of money.