Definitely worth the money and education to get things how you need them and avoid unnecessary taxes! 

Private Money Loan vs Hard Money Loan ? 

Quote from @Samuel Choi: @Gustavo Munoz CastroNo not an agent thanks for the info  Then that won't help, Expired listing data is only on the MLS which means it takes money to get access to it.

If you don't have a plan for all the money on a cash-out, then you may be better off taking less and holding onto your equity.

A great investing agent knows those people and will have a goal of you making money so you come back to buy more. 

If you bought a 2-family and started renting both sides, when one tenant leaves, you could choose to move in and then house hack and refinance at that time and get money out and buy a second property.

I took some money out of my 401 K to pay back some debts. 

However, I would definitely need hard money in order to make that work.

My guess is you will need to invest some money to pass inspection regardless and the hassle of annual inspections major.

Hard money.