Before I retire I want cash real estate. 

But I purchased land in cash and leveraged it to build a new construction stick built home.

Same day auctions of course are not going to be possible for a lender to lend on the initial purchase but you can often get the same hard money purchase terms right after closing if you're able to buy in cash

If you aren't paying cash and are doing owner occupancy you may be able to use FHA instead of Conventional with a higher down payment. 

Purchase price: $515,000 Cash invested: $960,000 Sale price: $1,850,000 New Construction development, What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

My professional background is data science / analytics, which means analyzing cash flows will probably come more naturally than building relationships, which apparently, is how one finds deals worth making.Are there meetups in these areas I should attend (digitally at first, presumably)? 

I use a spreadsheet I developed to determine my entry costs, carrying costs, cash flow, tax write offs, appreciation and exit costs.

Sara,I see this a lot and I always ask if you know you are going to refinance in the long run to consolidate the Heloc why not just do a Cash out refinance instead. 

Purchase price: $850,000 Cash invested: $500,000 Sale price: $2,250,000 Purchased , knocked down, built new from ground up What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

Purchase price: $260,000 Cash invested: $120,000 Sale price: $535,000 Complete gut, new front and rear walls, all new electric, HVAC, plumbing, roof, deck, windows, interior What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?