Hard money/private money and private investing/investors go hand-in-hand.

Newark is hands down one of the worst cities in America to invest in. 

I do several flips per year and have a handful of multi units in the area.

First hand it's doable but you need to develop a trustworthy team. 

The financing structure includes a hard money lender holding the first lien and private money lenders holding the second lien.How did you add value to the deal?

Since I’m holding these properties for the long term (30-year loans), I’ll have fully paid-off assets around the same time I’d traditionally start withdrawing from my 401(k).

Quote from @Hannah Hodge: Investment Info:Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment.

If you are buying a buy and hold rental, do not pull a HELOC or you're paying a mortgage payment on the new property AND HELOC interest.

I used $80k to pay off personal debts and $50k to remodel it by myself with my two hands.

As for holding properties under an LLC, there are definitely pros and cons—it can offer liability protection and tax benefits, but it also comes with additional costs and paperwork, so it really depends on your goals and risk tolerance.