The alternative is primary market research, which means getting the data directly from the source.

Alternatively, selling buying it personally, and flipping it within less than 1 year, the profits are considered capital gains (taxed @ 50%).

(House is vacant and I'm in option period) Bank will budge a bit on price, but not enough to cover the whole repair, Its a unit from 2005ish so I'm guessing I'll have to redo the entire system (coils on the inside, lines, etc) with the new non-freon alternative.

I was convinced of Real Estate Investing as the best alternative over a year ago and am finally ready to get started.For my first post, I'd like to poll the masses. 

We review the property's business income, not the personal income of the investor.Think of us as an alternative investment and commercial property lender you can turn to when you have a W-2 employee, self-employed investor or small business owner who is tough to qualify for traditional loans. 

He/She may have other alternatives for your needs.

Also, Carlos Marini, I've not used him but a friend who's also an investor highly recommended him.Re @Paul Timmins idea on REIA - excellent advice - the Black Diamond group is great - no charge, no sales pitch, lots of people who really know their stuff - they meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every  month, alternating between Waltham and Worcester.  

Following is why:The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k Similarities Both were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m); andThe Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (IRA LLC) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2015; the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

Hi Alfredo,I thought I would share another alternative ..... virtual staging.  

But definitely a good alternative if you're willing to put in the work.