If I gain experience in the construction industry it will give me a wealth of experience and knowledge that I will lean on to reach my REI goals.

Underwriting is typically in a far off place, and I hear over and over from realtors, that the bank drops the ball at the last minute.

Our goal in real estate investing is to gain a substantial amount of passive income to allow us to work fewer hours at our jobs and more hours together doing the things we love. 

At 2% Net Cap Rate - to make 100K a year - the property has to be ~5MM.And I'll need 25% of that as down payment - 1.25MMThat's not easy for me - nor very fruitful.So, I wonder whats the point of this.In contrast - if you look at flipping houses from a foreclosure - its not uncommon to see routine gains like 50K on a 500K asset.

We have tenants we gained with properties like that currently. 

The Irvine/Newport markets typically withstand drawdowns very well, much better than other cities.

Typically Portfolio Lenders have a little bit more relaxed guidelines and care more about the feasibility of the project and potential rent assignments than the borrower.

@Ethan Epps you need to determine what it's worth to you (or what is costs you) monetarily if you can't gain access to begin to work your plan.  

When I took my tax returns to a CPA last year he filed them all as Capital Gains on a form 1040. 

We're projecting around 100-125% to them including annual cash flow and a capital gain at sale in 5 years.