A country gem in a great location.Questions: I would not like to use our own home's equity or take funds out of IRAs.

When dealing with fixer-uppers be careful of hidden expenses.

and a school tax and a few other gems..

Both sites make it clear they do not insure the property is free of liens, mortgages and other encumbrances.How do I make sure that upon purchasing the property that I am not subject to all sorts of hidden burdens that were formerly the responsibility of the previous owner?

I'm particularly interested in properties that have hidden equity in them.

I lived in the Bay Area for 30 years and know how rare those gems are; finding it and polishing that turd took determination and skill!

The takeaway is that there is hidden counterparty risk when you use some of these vendors. 

The answer is likely hidden in the documents you signed at closing.

I have a conditional approval for $10,000  to complete work on a fix and flip I started, and had to stop because of the hidden damage I ran into.   

You'll see 100% financing at crazy high rates with lots of hidden strings and you'll see what is obviously more prudent lending such as 80% LTV on purchase + renovation costs disbursed in draws as the work is completed.