My current actions are looking for doing some light cosmetic repairs on my current house (fencing, flooring and other misc) using the equity in the form of  a HELOC (25k) and personal money (25k).

They are with me, fair warning though because they hold their loans and they are small fintech company their underwriters require a lot of letter of explanation 

.~$450kSoil engineer $5kStructure Engineer 10kArchitecture $20kPlanning department $5kSchool Fee $6kPermit Fee $7kExtra time for inspection 2KFoundation/Framing $140k Electrical $20kPlumbing $15kStucco $25kRoof $15kInsulation and sheet rock $25Paint $8kFlooring $10kAC/Heat Cental Air $25kGeneral contractor for bathroom/kitchen/crown molding/ trace ceiling/led lights/cosmetic and custom design $40kCustom milguard windows/sliding door/doors/title hardwood floor/cabinet/quart/ all the finished material $50Land scape and clean up $15kThe price above I hired each contractors to do each Job because they are specialized in their job.

Ray Lai you're on what day to mail, the best to mail is Tuesday usually the mail is extremely light( I am a letter carrier )

Some economist warn that if the pricing of real estate assets continue to grow too strongly while fundamentals do not follow - a phenomenon called decoupling - the conditions for a bubble may arrive.

Common sense as well as every book / blog / forum post that I have read says that you should secure your financing before making an offer on a property, but this seems backwards for hard money, as the lender wants to see your investment before lending out any money.Can anyone shed light on this part of the process?

Motion sensor lights and security cameras, or a big *** dog.

I have a contractor who claims some wire and can lights were "stolen".

It is now cleaned up and down to the studs ..everything needs to be done .. new roof , electrical, plumbing, flooring , all new fixtures abd lighting .. plus i am converting the attached carport into a new master bedroom thus adding Sqft.. turning it into a 1870 sqft 4/2 from a 1520 sqft 3/2 .

If you can get the receipts, and/or establish a written documentation of these with photos and sources in a "Cost Segregation Analysis" then take the total cost off your 27.5 year life property and add them back under the 5 year (flooring, rugs, light fixtures, appliances, etc>) or as 15 year property (landscaping, lawn sprinkling systems, patios, new driveways, etc.)