In my opinion that was your 1st mistake, " He who helps plan the battle never battles the plan" from how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie, a must read.The above means you sit down with the trades individually and discuss there part and ask them what is the best way to move forward and as efficiently as possibly, they will tell you how to develop the schedule and plan, this dose not mean you do and agree with everything they suggest, this give them a say and respect and its there idea, so they think.I have done a few projects and I have never needed signed contracts with the trades, theirs more to managing projects then nuts, screws and wood, you are in the people management 1st and the trades are running there own business to make money, trust me that comes 1st in there minds.Mike

Realtors want a high commission so they don't submit low offers.Want to make it worse, try making a trade (barter) with the property owner when there is a Realtor involved. 

You can't take money out of a house with it, but rather trade up without paying any taxes on the gains you have made until you sell the replacement house.

I plan to make a few improvements and trade up soon. 

The Multi families we are looking at are trading around 4 to 5% cap so not sure how they can stay at that prices.You have put in a lot of work into this :).

I am a mechanical engineer by trade. 

tenants who often are "renting" from multiple owners (often preying on the elderly whose properties tend to be more neglected and violations left uncorrected) and consequently subleasing out the property they rent to others, without owning the property nor paying rent on it, generating multiple streams of property.one dude i found to be doing this, while showing a few apts and having him apply to rent a 2nd at one of the properties i manage, when he had just put a deposit already on a 1st, when confronted, even boasted it's his and his 'homies' method of 'investing in the new economy'!

It's a deal in Overland Park that is going to trade at a low 5 cap.  

Could of traded in Hawaii for San Francisco, especially wrt building anything here.

I am a carpenter by trade and looking to invest in these areas.