You are also benefitting from investing in a fragmented, private market where you have informational alpha (i.e. information is not publicly available).Now for my answer JHistorically (long-term) stock market returns have beaten most asset classes including RE.

Most small businesses don’t have audited statements, but nonetheless should present statements that are compiled and perhaps reviewed by a certified public accountant.

I will now try to renegotiate with my current contractor, and if that doesn't work out, I have new options.I am leery of publicly posting names and prices quoted over the phone, since assumptions and bargains were made verbally. 

You're exactly right. we're talking about here homes where the public records does not reflect who or where the real owner lives.1.

Especially to say in a public forum.

You may be able to estimate it from public records, if you're in an area where mortgages or deeds of trust show the loan amount and terms. 

Having traveled to Eastern Germany, I have seen what public housing under a Communist regime looks like, and I want no part of it. 

IRS publication has a good section on this.With respect to cashing out the Roth IRA, you will owe taxes on the gains but not the principal.

unless it was public water/sewer and the city was going to pay for it; it makes it very hard to develop a park based on the economics of it.  

I wrote a computer program to scrape data off of craigslist, Zillow, Facebook, and our public mls.