Been looking at hard money loans, and also looking at doing a 401K loan from my w-2 job. 

You are a kid and it will be hard to understand exactly what you are asking, where are you getting your money from?

As Sean above alluded to- never pay a seller for your future hard work, risk and stress. 

The Polywood discount is hard to beat.

Hard to come back from these.. 

And the truth is, it’s hard to pinpoint because Detroit is such a block-by-block city with an incredibly large footprint.

I would agree that RE prof status is hard to achieve with a limited number of properties.

These are large financial assets it shouldn't be hard to justify paying for good service. 

Enjoy $45 off with code JUMPSTART45 I'm not sure if this part copied over (hard to see on my phone) :$45 dollars off with code JUMPSTART45

As I'd imagined, it seems like there are no hard-and-fast ways that a deal must be structured, but rather there is room for flexibility depending on the situation, and in any case consultation with experienced professionals at every level is key.