@Clay Sellers I agree with most of it, however, I think it paints some areas with too broad of a brush stroke.

Don't give up and go hard money until you find someone genuinely running the numbers for soft money!

Hi all,I live in the Indianapolis area and am starting to think about potentially becoming a private money lender...I'm going to have to brush up on what the current state of real estate is as I haven't looked into the markets, etc in a while...My current question is related to CIREIA...Can anyone tell me what the 160 fee to join includes other than a monthly meeting and discounts at some stores?

It was a small house, so my construction expenses were only $61k and after all soft costs I made $27,000, so it can be done! 

Yup clean up the brush around and rake it out,have to do that anyway. 

That just leaves the walls... if they're in good shape after removing the wallpaper, consider a soft pale color--maybe something out of the floor mosaics--to relieve the antiseptic white a bit.

It sounds like you are getting too soft maybe with rent payments.

A power cable ran down from the pole to the ground at an angle, and the overgrown walkway to the door actually led you right under the power cable, brushing by the power pole!  

This will vary depending if you include only hard costs or add soft costs, land and financing.  

Use soft or hard $$ if the numbers all work out for the purchase & possibly rehab (or force some equity into the property)3.