We got lucky in that the 4 month reno was finished just as the 2018 economy and spring selling market hit their peak.

If a REO, then yes, you’ll have to wait for it to hit mls or an REO auction site.

It's hit or miss, it really is a numbers game, you have to commit to doing it regularly for a long period of time, and not get discouraged when it seems that the only responses you're getting aren't really deals.But it can definitely pay off if you're willing to commit to that.

Cashing out to invest in other ways may result in a huge capital gains tax hit plus risk of losing it due to inexperience.

How do you recommend I reach this goal as quickly and efficiently as possible?

You're not even hitting the 1% rule.

since I have a time constraint, I wanted to do it as efficient as possible, thank you for your help in advance :)

hit me off line for referral..

Hit me up by DM if you want to chat about anything specific.

There were an endless number of steps I had to complete to bring this deal to fruition including building a local team from across the country, putting in many offers, passing on several bad properties, and getting my financing lined up so I could pounce on this opportunity right when it hit the MLS.