I always hired contractors, and did material runs for them several times a week after work and cleaned up jobs on the weekend, which was also time I spent at the properties, discovering issues, thinking about the rehabs and what needed to be done next.

I can definitely help you build your creditstart with the discover secured card.....because it graduates generally after 6 months.

"Stocks have returned, on average, about 8% to 12% per year while real estate has generated returns of 2% to 4% per year," says Peter Earle, an economist at the American Institute for Economic Research.

Private lender is probably a good option if you need to act quickly and may not qualify under the institutional lending guidelines. 

That land doesn't convert to cash for a downpayment, unless its encumbered or sold and no institution is going to lend on a $20M piece of property.

Regarding Atlanta and Charlotte institutional buyers are buying up the market?

Subsequently, we discovered multiple leaks in the roof, resulting in water damage, including mold growth in our closet.

after I closed my last (and biggest) deal of my career I realized the financial docs were off by 64%. I filed a formal complaint with the New Mexico Realtors Association and now there is admission of false/altered doc...

If you discover foundation or structural issues these can also be expensive.I would not use a per square foot figure like, $50.00 or $75.00 per square multiplied by the number of sq. feet.

If you are just holding the lot, then there are more favorable terms available than what you are currently experiencing.I always recommend shopping at least 3 different lenders (even more), as every single institution has different terms and requirements, and they all offer different financing products.