I do have a finance background, do my own taxes for the portfolio we have and believe I understand the fact set.  

;Roth IRA funds are not subject to requirement minimum distributions (RMDs);The fair market value (FMV) of assets held in a self-directed IRA is reported on form 5498;The fair market value of assets held in a solo 401k are reported on Form 5500-EZ;At termination, the solo 401k is required to file a final Form 5500-EZ and 1099-R; andAt termination, the self-directed IRA is only required to file a form 1099-R.

It's a fine line between keeping equity down and staying safe in a fluctuating market.

Refinancing is a fine balance of having rates low enough and having values in your area to be high enough so that you can actually close because if rates are low but values are low and you cant appraise then the low rates would be of no use.

Once we agree on a final payoff amount, the third party lender can close within 2 - 3 weeks.

Items needed include:  new HVAC (current was installed in 2003), new water heater (the house has two, one is new, and the other was made in 1998), significant bathroom repairs/remodels in both bathrooms to re-do unskilled labor, window replacement to re-do unskilled labor, destruction of the garage and rebuilding the roof to be without the garage, destruction of a cinder block wall that was supposed to be used with the garage, finishing the driveway that was half-completed, fixing plumbing violations, new flooring and paint in the entire 2000 sq ft house, updating tax records with number of rooms and bedrooms, and some cosmetic updates.I initially offered $90-95k range, and said I would present a final offer upon review of the repairs.  

I understand that the rules would help you determine if the property cash flowed and that the 2% one was used first, while the 50% was used more like a final factor (in the example).What doesn't make sense is why the property was deemed a bad idea, wouldn't the fact that the 50% rule gave 0 cash flow (rather than negative) mean that the investor would still be able to make money on loan pay down?

This is something that I have sturggled with a bit as well...as a Finance professional I understand the power of leverage that REI offers but still find myself thinkibg about using some of the monthly cash flow to accelerate principal paydown.

I am a finance professional currently, so I bring that mindset to the table, as well as a good eye, a passion for property improvement, and some funds.  

Need a finance person, a contractor, a designer, and a few others.