That way I had some skin in the game but he still made a good chunk when I refinance to pay him back.

First, people with skin in the game are more likely to make it work.

There is no way I would rent in California during a mortgage moratorium without Tenant putting enough skin in the game.

I specialize in soft-flooring (carpet, wood, resilient) vs hard-surface but even then, I can certainly direct you.

That all changed to were the banks started requiring skin in the game and they were not going to go way out on a limb with Spec loans.. 

Tile breaks easily over time if it's not installed on perfectly prepped surfaces. 

Without money (skin in the game) you can't do much.

They have more skin in the game then you do.Make sure you get clear title.

However, there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say.If these are currently occupied rental properties then you could hire a manager to help with a number of them, and then take those back and self-manage in the years to come if you'd prefer that. 

I think a private lender would be more comfortable in first position with 70% LTV, maybe 80 if you're lucky, especially at that low of a price point but most will want you to have skin in the game as a pure rental play.