Says it has to be my cash or conventional loan from a lending institution. 

They are, on a level, market participants in that area.

Anyone in the the Alexandria Va area interested in participating in a Bigger Pockets Meet Up?

I am lucky to have worked on iconic institutions of Los Angeles.I have no experience whatsoever and right when I decided I wanted to pursue this route, I kicked my learning mode into high gear.

If after you get to your new job you don't feel you can make the necessary commitment to be an active participant, then maybe look at turnkey properties.

Non-institutional lenders, which comprise all hard and private money, can be grouped into three categories: hard money lenders you can find on-line, private individuals such as your Uncle Murray or dentist, and private individuals who understand real estate and are comfortable loaning their own money on it.

At most they'll get slap on the hand and it'll be back to business as usual along with the other "too big to fail" institutions.

After four years at a pretty highly regarded academic institution, I can confidently say that the most valuable asset I'm walking away with are the friendships I've cultivated over the past four years.

@Mindy Chaffin - could you go through your first post in this thread point by point now that you have better hindsight on that, and maybe re-write it with having one additional year of participating with them.

That, however, is when the institution is offering us the loan.