They're also happy to commit to whatever your closing date is and blow right through it.

Keep it up ...

Here’s some guidance to help with your next steps:Hard Money Loan: Hard money lenders can often cover both the purchase price and some rehab costs (up to 70-75% of the after-repair value or ARV).

Congratulations on closing the deal.  

Luckily my agent lined up another buyer right away.

When you add that: "The downpayment and closing costs would be one large hurdle"; I can't tell if you can only afford to do this once (thus tying up whatever you have saved) or multiple times.  

While I know this isn't a lot in today's market, I believe there are creative ways to make it work.I’m a former foster child who was declared independent as a teen, so I've been living with close friends that I consider family.

This issue, while easy to solve, only came up at the end of the process.

Or if you want a lower monthly payment, then do the 20% down.You can also negotiate credits with the sellers to use towards your closing costs or rate buy down.

Basically from the foundation up.