Gator most of the risk is on the person providing the earnest money.

Dumb question - but are these auctions online only, or in-person? 

I personally know several blue-collar millionaires from HVAC techs to plumbers.

Some will shed most is not all of their rentals and just do lending .. personal choice.. some things to keep in mind ONLY do first loans. 

We will shop for used appliances where we can when we need one… or pick up used cabinets if we can, or search eBay for something smaller,  but going to the extreme of personally shipping something big in internationally for one-off renovation needs seems like a stretch of reasonable.Just like you mention, the number of unknowns would not seem to be worth it to me.Just my 2 cents.Randy  

Would you personally intentionally go out and do this?  

I question if the person that has issues matching 1) knows how to feather 2) has the original paint color/code. 

I’m not a former IRS person.

The drawback is you need to build trust and relationships upfront.Both have their place, but private money tends to offer more flexibility, while hard money is more structured and accessible if you lack personal connections.

I personally would never invest somewhere that could outlaw rentals.