Being that you are in Japan that ads additional difficulties.  

First of all, most hard money lenders are not going to lend you 100% of the purchase and rehab cost - they expect you to have skin in the game and put about 20% down. 

I guess the part my buyer has had difficulty with getting financing for the property is that there are no FHA qualified structures on the property, so even with the assessed value being $34k above the asking price, she is having trouble secureing a loan on a "Land" deal, even with improvements. 

It's not that difficult - I am confident you can do this! 

I would not utilize anyone who did not have some skin in the game within the area.

I'm currently looking for a place to rent.Most people would say that this is probably the complete opposite of a place to look for a rental, but my wife and I have had a lot of difficulty finding a place to rent.Why am I renting?

With investments, banks have to see much more skin in the game to justify the risk, especially commercial.Hope this helps!

Most HML lenders want you to have some skin in the game.

The problem you have is that even if you meet the down payment banks will want your "skin in the game"  meaning they will only do the deal if you are putting in cash.   

Its not easy, but everything difficult is temporary and is only preparing you for your upcoming success.