We picked up a property in Union Beach for $16,000. The plan was straightforward — build it out, add value, move on. It didn't go that way. Permit issues, construction problems, and a GC who didn't hold up his end of the deal brought everything to a stop before we could really get started. To exit, we had to find a cash buyer willing to take it as-is. But even that got complicated — title issues surfaced during the transfer that had to be resolved before the sale could close. By the time it was over, we and our private investors had spent a significant amount just to walk away clean. Another hard lesson that the wrong contractor doesn't just cost you time — it costs you everything.