I bought 2 new construction in Athens last summer and rented them right away... so far so good. 

. ;-)  Well I'm an agent so that won't be necessary.

i fyour getting paid off when the vertical loan goes on.. then your in first position . so not sure what the issue is? 

Shorter term CD's actually have higher rates than longer term so staying in the 3-6 month range is best.  

If so, what tools are you using?

design one for yourself. think about your market. like in columbus we have infill lots at 30x120 and so we developed and designed a house for ourselves. we build the same house and continue to Make modifications. it's the only new build we offer to build for clients. that's just my opinion. architects we didn't even use we looked at national builder Floorplans and decided. our typical lot is 3000-4000 square feet that we build on 

Use the top three or four discriminators so applicants can screen themselves.Then you need to have clear screening criteria yourself.

Quote from @Erica King: I like the concept of duplex and 4plex . so I could stay in one.

I was the agent, so I recommend myself for all your southwestern IL investments.

It seems like there's a lot of opportunity right now in that SEPA and South Jersey area (I'm on Long Island but have worked with folks who operate down there), and you're setting yourself up with smart partners, so you're ahead of the pack here already.I do have a good relationship with a strong commercial brokerage firm in that area, let me know if that would be a useful connection for you.