These are great for experienced flippers who can handle the tight timelines and costs.Private investing usually involves individuals funding your deal, like friends, family, or networking connections.

As to gurus, being popular, attractive, witty, friendly, or just lovable doesn't mean they are ethical, lawful, correct or are qualified.Qualified: Now, that is an interest aspect for a teacher or instructor.

What other options would be good?  

Explore insurance options as well!

Make sure they are "investor friendly" and well connected in the neighborhood.

I have lenders that can fund in just a few days and are willing to finance up to 90% of the purchase price and up to 100% of the rehab budget, even for first time investors.

How many mortgage lenders have you spoken with to get qualified and discuss allowable down payment options?

I've read BiggerPockets' Real Estate Investing book and am particularly interested in the house hacking strategy, as I'd like to move out of my current living situation.Our main dilemma is choosing between a single-family home (renting out one room to a close friend) or a multifamily property like a duplex or triplex.

If your goal is to maximize liquidity for future deals, reducing your cash outlay or exploring refinancing options could make sense.

If you have equity and decent credit, a conventional Fannie Mae HomeStyle (or the Freddie Mac version) would likely be the better option instead of an FHA 203k loan (which will require a 3rd party HUD consultant to oversee the deal in addition to having the contractor involved).