@John Moran,There are number of active investors as well as service providers who are frequent contributors on this forum.

I want to eventually start an alternative/DIY homes contracting business where we build upscale container homes, geodesic domes, tiny homes, convert trailers into themed hotel rooms etc so seeking for some solid advice in that realm. 

Then they only need 7 days for an appraisal and final approval of the loan applied to the selected property.Some other approaches that we have had success with is Driving for Dollars, seeking out as-is properties, and properties that have been on the market for 30 days or more.

Hey @Peter Fennig, good to see you active. 

. - don’t go into massive amounts of debt to get a degree; work your tail off to earn income to pay for your schooling, seek out financial aid, scholarships.

I am an Active Guard Reserve Soldier and i have 16 years in which means its time to start going.

There are a lot of active members from the Baltimore area here on BP.

You won't be able to make a purchase with a hard money loan, you may want to seek private money.

We're looking for a brokerage that has no sales goals/quotas (or 1 sale/yr to maintain active status), no or minimal monthly fees, flat fee, no expectations of meetings or working from an office, but enough of a presence to answer basic questions as needed.If you have any folks you'd like to recommend that meet all (or most) of the criteria above, please share.

Once you have decided which path to take, I recommend "Seek to serve" or "Pay to play", if you are committed to accelerating your growth.