Stay in your job if that is what you want, but quitting your job in a relatively short period of time is possible. 

Based on what you wrote, short of paying cash, that's your only option.

It does no good to place capital with someone who has a great project with an attractive pro forma, to find out later they can't be trusted. 

According to this article, it leaves a sticky residue on everything that attracts dust. https://info-electronic-cigarette.com/what-is-vapi...

What are the major macro economic factors that attribute to your attraction to that submarket? 

I have also shown properties that are just dry-walled before, and have been able to paint an accurate + attractive picture for the prospect of what they will look like finished, securing the deposits.

Very excited to be jumping in.I think the biggest question perhaps in the short-term is how much do I have to lose if I do *not* get everything completed before losing my active income source?

One CAN figure out approximately how much a property sold for even if it's not listed in the records:  extrapolate the transfer taxes (state/county/city) and multiply out.Just an aside:  I remember back in the day when the appraisals were coming in short in an appreciating market (something like we have today) we would ask the buyer to pay MORE money for the transfer taxes (no law about not paying more taxes) and it would help show a higher "sales" price and help 'push' up the comps--not recommending you do that now--much more data available for all eyes.But I would recommend that you buddy up with a like-minded realtor, and work out a mutually beneficial arrangement so you can get the info you need, and they can get listings, sales, referrals, etc, that they need.Better yet, get licensed yourself and get to know the business from the inside out!

Its not assured you should just hold on always and forever.In short, RE is much like other forms of investing.

I think missing over it is an easy, short term fix.