As for finding a contractor, asking local investors for recommendations is a great start.

My two favorite loan options for getting started are the FHA 203k or the Fannie May Home Style. 

We are starting the process of analyzing deals, making a plan and executing on it. 

I'm starting out at level 0.

I never took action and started doing deals.

When you start raising money, the kinds of investors you're going to get are individuals who want to make a better return than the stock market. 

If not, it's just a matter of waiting for the lender to start lending in that area again. 

Quote from @Cody Caswell: Quote from @Bruce Woodruff: You're correct that getting every detail involved right from the start is critical!

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Often times you will pay much more in taxes than if you pulled the money out, paid the taxes and penalty and then started investing in real estate.For example, with the financing you mentioned, the IRA must pay taxes on the portion of the profit earned by financing.