The issue I cannot overcome is why blanket the airwaves with marketing and advertising to find investors when the company can be putting their own money into these projects and reaping all the profits?

For it to make sense to me, there would have to be a huge markup for them to profit. 

On your homeowner financing loan alternatives is to show them the math on paper that shows them the extra profit and the possible tax liability spread out for several periods instead of showing they will and have to report it all in the next year end tax preparation and the savings that they might get. 

Their compensation - cut, commission, profit split, trailer fee, "whatever you want to call it" - can be structured in many different ways.

We also have provisions in place where any one partner can stop contribution 'labor' (PM, book keeping, maintenance work etc...) and still get a share of the profits, if it is a matter of not wanting or being able to put in as much time but still interested in having the investment.Dan Dietz

How would you utilize $30,000 to create future opportunity for profit in real estate?

.-$2-3k at least in holding costs“Hoping for a $4k profit”?????

In selling this it would most likely be a profit of over 300k. 

I'm holding it until it's painless or profitable to sell, and focusing on things that make me more money in the meantime. nobody owns all homerun deals.

You could always start marketing for deals (using mailing / list services) and then partner with another local investor who can take has the bandwidth to take on your inbound leads and can handle negotiations, acquisition/exit strategies, contract administration, etc. in exchange for a profit split.