Hi William,My personal experience is that a lot of the material covered during the Pre-licensing came up during the exam.

Initially, I painted, cut grass, ran around a lot for material...But, It's all worth it...I sold my first turn key in 2015..That $35,000 at one time, sent shock waves...It's been a progression....Now I'm looking to purchase my first retail flip along with self building our next home...Every deal brings more Confidence and my Faith keeps pushing me.  

@Mukesh YadavFollowing are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k SimilaritiesBoth were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m); andNeither may be invested in your own business.  

The corrosive nature of soot is driven by the materials that burned, as is the odor.  

With a buy and hold strategy, and trying to look at potential deals as being more or less likely to be successful, I am wondering how this situation may or should affect my analysis.Does this materially increase the likelihood of falling or stagnant rent and property values for the mom and pop units?  

Has anyone had better luck with one material or another flooring over a basement?  

If you are trying to cut corners on materials & finishes, skipping code requirements and generally hacking a house to squeeze out profit...my advice is to invest in the stock market and not real estate.I personally have seen downtown high rise condos literally double in value after rehab largely because many are decked out like its 1985.

Question:   Since we did a considerable amount of sweat labor ourselves and spent quite a bit on appliances, paint, flooring, plumbing, electrical, materials, and contractor labor and materials, do I need to write up an itemized list of the labor and materials and give it to them, or just write a list of the things that has been done?

Following are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k SimilaritiesBoth were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m); andNeither may be invested in your own business. 

You should be paying sales tax at the point of purchase for all materials on your rehabs...if you're pulling permits to do the work, most jurisdictions will ask you to put up a use tax bond for the work.