“Alternative investments,” such as private equity real estate, are finding favor among high-net-worth investors these days.They offer opportunities for accredited investors to invest outside the world of stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

@Paul Roth, yes you will have to pay taxes if you use the money you make to buy other assets (real estate, stocks, bonds, etc.).

Secondly, outside of credit tenant lease bond financing, there is NO 97% financing out there.

You also want to think about how the term length is going to impact your ability to qualify for financing down the road.

May be better off paying taxes :) or investing in municipal bonds to reduce.

For one, you can't hire someone to paint anything unless they are licensed with a C33 (painting specialty contractor for CA), bonded, and insured, plus have client/inveestor named as additional insured, very basic stuff, without these 3, the contract and liability will not be bounded together.

:-)  One of my most frequent private lenders is 78, and a number of my apartment investors are in their 70's.As @Dmitriy Fomichenko mentioned, the key to using your 401(k) money is to have it in a self directed IRA that lets you invest in assets other than stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. 

My company is not bonded in PA, however, there are companies out there that have all sorts of great non-QM mortgage products, like 12-24 month bank statements, asset valuation.  

We will need insurance and bond for the CCB (contractors license). 

They probably wouldn't have the wherewithal to go through a lengthy and expensive legal battle - barring assistance from Legal Aid - but I still wouldn't want to risk it.