Quote from @Scott Tennell: For real estate investors who have worked with private money lenders, what strategies have you found most effective in structuring deals to ensure both parties are protected and the funding process runs smoothly? 

He kept in touch with local contractors, and one tipped him off about a homeowner who ran out of funds mid-renovation.

And, well managed institutional 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediaries will have already evaluated the applicable risks, addressed the critical issues and implemented appropriate safeguards to protect your 1031 Exchange funds to ensure the successful completion of your 1031 Exchange transaction.

Also-  Have you considered investing in a note fund.

It will also require extensive networking to raise funds from other, legally, to buy at scale.Recommend your plan be more realistic with a goal of 10 years for your real estate to be generating enough cash to live off - and even that may be a bit optimistic.How to grow?

It takes hustle, but once you’ve got the right mix of funding, project management, and lender relationships, it’s totally doable!

You take a HELOC for your primary renovations at 7%, invest the funds from option 1 to cover the payments of the HELOC.

If you're financially stable, have an emergency fund, and have a buy [box] get into the trending C class neighborhoods and buy value.

I.e. even though you need to submit draws for any rehab funds, you will get charged interest on the full amount each month.  

From a credit perspective, house hacking also helps you build strong cash flow, which can make it easier to secure financing for future deals.Additionally, if you're targeting high-appreciation markets, you could also look into cash-out refinancing down the line to pull equity and fund additional investments.