I recommend people doing a side gig on what they specialize in.I am an accountant and when I worked within large public accounting firms, I had a side gig of bieng an accountant.I had a salary with my employer so regardless of how much more hours I put with them, i would be paid the same. 

I find  Problem with the stock market is that it's outside your control to a large extent (same as betting on appreciation) and you don't get the tax benefits and leverage.

I had seen an ad recently from quickloans about something they offer, they give cash for the equity and then when you sell the property they are paid?

Take the few extra hours it may take to originate the bank loan and divide it by the added finance charges and its normally more than most borrowers time is worth.

My strategy in Arizona has been adding bedrooms and renting by the room - currently getting 850-950/room in nice neighborhoods.

Hi Shak,If you have added value by doing upgrades to the property, I do know of programs that can do it with no seasoning.

Will I only be able to mortgage the purchase price and costs, or will I be able to do a full cash out refinance and tap into some of the added equity of renovations?

The information contained in this post is not to be relied upon.

I do not see that home prices have dropped 2-3% and this is a lot of added savings in additional to a downpayment if so. 

Quote from @Errol Sadler: Hi BP community,I’ve successfully added a second story to a home in Atlanta and am now exploring whether this is feasible in Fort Lauderdale, FL.