I now have my finances in order to start the process of actively looking and bidding on houses. I have two good friends who are legitimate successful Real Estate agents. I have an acquaintance of a partner that is a p...

@Shannon WrightThis is what using u sweat and his to do...essentially the hard money acts as a bridge loan.

That's terrific - except for the fact that the OP was asking about just such a "low class" market (Troy), which frankly is similar to the majority of real estate markets in NYS north of the Tappan Zee bridge. 

If you ever needed the money you should be able to get a bridge loan against the CD.

In the end, it comes down to the HML underwriting.Most people would call this a bridge loan, or "temporary" loan.

Maintain a resilient mindset and keep pushing forward, even in the face of difficulties.Remember, taking action is the bridge between setting goals and achieving them.

If the communication is not what you think it should be, move on without burning any bridges.  

That overage forced a 10.5% bridge loan on the third house, which we had to hold for nearly 12 months until cash freed up from the other two rehabs.

This is the new way -- a path to recurring income which is certainly more sustainable.BUT - For those looking for a bridge to buy, I've got one for you . . .There are no secrets.

Based on Jerome Powell's comments last week, this doesn't appear to be the case.Large MF deals were built upon variable rate bridge loans.