(Think infomercial), But most of the meetups are more or a non-profit  philosophy just trying to cover the costs of the meetings and used for networking with a bit of education and a soft upsell usually on the services of the person speaking / educating the group..

Send me a scenario if you like and I will show you a comparison btw hard, soft, and private.

@Paul GarciaIt sounds like you are current getting the credit report pushed to you in a "soft" hit.  

Paint the entire house in a soft grey.

The hard or soft money route is a great option.

These "soft" factors are harder to know without really trusting someone in the market you want to enter.

@Isaac Frost  soft costs were tax's insurance utls closing costs I imagine.where do you factor in your cost of capital.. or when you say private investor. .did you have a cash partner. and he got paid out of the 131k profit. ?

Is so, then the matter isn't just limited to WC, there is the whole issue of unemployment insurance, matching social security, and other such soft costs that come into play.

I want to thank everyone  for the soft nudges, tomatoes and paint balls.

The floors are made of particle board and if they get wet too much they get soft.