I encourage you to attend these if you’re wanting to get started out.

I appreciate everyone that took the time to give me their advice and encouragement.

Our demand letter adds that we will send the originals once we receive full payment.NEVER SEND ORIGINAL LOAN DOCUMENTS TO ESCROW UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN PAID OFF IN FULL.Some title and escrow companies are not used to dealing with private lenders and will occasionally hem and haw, but this is legal (and encouraged by my lawyer).

I generally go for good cash flow, and in the NY market, rents and property values go up quickly, the problem evaporates in a few years anyway.HELOCs help me get into the property, and currently, I'm mortgage free.

So of course do business with who you decide to do business with, but if someone hasn't had the experience like you have had I encourage them to come to their own conclusion.

W2 just seems to be a naughty word on BP, but I'm not sold yet that a solid W2 job isn't a route that should be encouraged to those wanting to build a foundation for a RE business as a full time investor.

This really helped me encourage myself not give up! 

At whatever point in the cycle ground up development is the most risky and therefore always offers some of the best returns, but that being said, at this particular point in the cycle I would encourage you to spend a lot of time assessing the risks and downsides on this potential development opportunity.I would tell this to everyone, but in your particular case you seem to be starting off and lack the experience that is definitely needed to take on a development project at the top of the market. 

It makes me wonder if all the hype around "house hacking" and financial independence is driving the hype even higher and encouraging more millennials to jump in.

Unfortunately I have nothing to offer in your area except words of encouragement - Best of luck and looking forward to hear about your experiences and your progress!