There is/was lot of downside potential to buying before the inspection but I can’t think of any upside. 

Would love to know your plan, my biggest problem is staying organized with all of this lol

My biggest piece of advice is to learn from the experiences of others.

If you get the fee and can fill it in 2 weeks instead of a month, then you should be rewarded for that but it should not come with an expectation that there's no downside for you and they'll pay the rent if it takes more than the month. 

I already have a couple potential deals, but the biggest hurdle I'll face is finding a private money lender who's willing to lend to someone with minimal experience.

Liability: The downside is that owning property personally exposes you to more risk.

But their technique is to make it more profitable to save your money than to spend it on real estate and cars (the two biggest driving forces in consumer spending).  

Flipping has been the biggest drop off with a softer market, but long term and short term rental investors are buying, they just have to work harder to find deals OR put more money down so the numbers make sense.

There is no downside, besides more activity on your listing, which means more calls and lots of potential upside.

By carefully balancing the collateral and ensuring rigorous underwriting standards, it is possible to mitigate potential downsides while capturing the upside potential, providing a compelling investment proposition in a competitive market.Uses of Mezzanine Debt CapitalMezzanine debt can be deployed effectively in several ways, including:- Liquidity Provision: Providing liquidity to set aside interest reserves for first lien lenders and tax and insurance escrows required by the first lender.- Property Improvements: Funding additional property improvements such as renovations, HVAC work etc.- Operating Shortfall Coverage: Addressing operational shortfalls during challenging periods.Objectives of Mezzanine DebtThe primary objectives when using mezzanine debt include:- Project Stabilization: Completing renovations, construction, or improvements and then stabilizing the property with 90%+ occupancy.- Interest Rate Management: Buying time until interest rates normalize or decline.