The guys at the local Builder Association were not doing enough volume that I could catch them at the right time for a slab pour. 

See above point as to why the police won’t catch whoever took the equipment.If you’re looking to protect expensive equipment like AC units, then you likely have power at the house.

Let's catch up!!

. ;-) Good catch! 

So if you pulled $100k you will end up with 60-70k, which it will be very difficult to have real estate surpass returns of 401k that much to catch up a 30-40k head start with your 401k

They just need to catch him now.

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

The % your choose will depend on your risk tolerance but I like ~20% buffer for holding costs if your timeline gets extended and ~20%+ for your rehab for the items that the home inspection or walking the property doesn't catch that inevitably pop up.Hope that helps!

I’ve also been analyzing multifamily deals with fewer than 5 units, potential single-family short-term rentals, and studying a few different markets to see where opportunities might make sense.I really want to use this time wisely instead of playing catch-up later, so what else can I do to prepare myself for that first deal?

Subject to our key word selection we should catch people looking for properties.