@James Walker,I’m active in Chattanooga but don’t do new construction there yet—I’m involved in ground-up in Tuscaloosa and Athens, AL for the time being.In any case, I'd be happy to serve as a resource for your new construction or Chattanooga-related questions!

I have been involved with many, many transactions during this time and I can assure you that every single deal, whether I've represented a Seller or Buyer or myself, has been different than the pervious. 

I had a beer with my brother recently and after I laid out my path forward with all the numbers involved, he said “you can’t afford to stay” … pension won’t be worth enough to justify staying in a job that has a pretty hard cap on earnings for a pension that won’t be worth enough to make a difference in my life, let alone the lives of my children.

Typically they involve higher leverage, faster closing time frames, and more flexible guidelines, but at the cost of higher rates and shorter term loans.  

I would just accept that this needs to be a small scale operation involving close friends and family until you have some tangible experience and significant capital of your own.

To persuade parents of the risks involved, educate them on the BRRR method, explaining how each phase works and why it's less dangerous than it appears.

I went ahead and just recommended that they get lawyers involved and go from there.

True, these involve a real estate component, but really, you’re starting a business. 

I would get a contractor involved and get some bids.

I think these photograph well, but ultimately will lead to an underwhelming experience for many guests who underestimate the work involved.