Also, I have heard success stories of folks finding good contractors at the home improvement stores early in the AM.

Purchase price: $18,750 Cash invested: $15,000 Purchased old house frame on 1/2 acre, intending to improve it and sell it.

.- NOI Growth: From $603K to a run-rate of ~$1M within the first 12 months, marking a 73% improvement.

People with good incomes have historically done well in either the market or real estate over the long term.For myself I cannot stomach the gyrations in the stock market so for me RE is less risky but I am not living entirely off it either. 

There might be Some exceptions such as you did a bunch of repairs/improvements which increased the value of your home .

Local knowledge can also improve investment outcomes.

Yes, an LLC that elects to be either a corporation or partnership for federal income tax purposes and is organized for the purpose of investing in a QOZ is eligible.What does it mean if a property is “substantially improved”?

Property value is land + improvements (the structure). 

Basically questions that the PM/co-host need to be able to answer without having to do any deep-dive analysis.Property-specific questions such as property improvement advice, revenue potential, etc. that involve deep-dive analysis might justifiably incur an up-front cost depending on the PM/co-hosts business model.

If you have a strong foundation with capital aside it's easier to stomach.