Secondly, while I'm sure your father is a great man in his own rite and you could probably learn many valuable things from him, learning finances and business practices from him will not be one of them. 

Cost us about $3000 for a commercial appraisal (the lender typically does not pay for the appraisal), which was a 65 page report with a lot of valuable data.

In my opinion, when it comes to deciding how much of the work you want to do yourself, it comes down to knowing yourself and being realistic with what you can and cant do and weighing where your time is most valuably spent.

Congrats on the success and all the valuable lessons learned.

Money is always more valuable today than it will be tomorrow, plus you are not paying the mortgage. 

I also attend the local meet-up which is very valuable as far as networking and learning new strategies go.Also, if anyone here knows of a GREAT Hard Money Lender in the area, I would love to speak with him/her.

Even if you aren't licensed when it closes, the education will be valuable.

Fico seems to take into account factors that are more valuable to lenders that are extending secured debt. 

The property sale for both properties must also close within 180 days of each other in order to qualify for valuable tax benefits.

Even if the lot rent numbers are the same, a park filled with 20 year old homes will ultimately be more valuable than a park filled with 40 year old homes.