Would love to hear from folks who've been through the process—what worked, what didn't, and what you'd do differently next time.

I have called the office number dozens of times, but it always seems to be busy.

If you are setting aside funds for capex, taxes, insurance, or other expenses that don't occur monthly, transfer those funds to Savings each month and hold them there until it's time to spend them.

On Auction.com properties, it reads that it requires 100% funds due at a time of sale in cashier’s check, but time of sale is a little unclear for me.

Most of the time, an ADU will cost 100k just for that part and then you have to actually build the cosmetic part for an additional 40-50k. 

A split time between Butte and Phoenix is pretty cool.

1) don’t forget, in LA you will have a VERY hard time raising rents more than 9% per year.

If the company would not write this policy this way, you may have an issue at claim time. 

*Renovation Costs – Includes labor, materials, permits, and unexpected repairs*Holding Costs — Utilities, property taxes, and financing costs during the renovation time.

You're picking a great time to start investing, the area is becoming a hot spot for investors.