Their ability to recover their money should you default is much lower in this position.

I would, If in this position, take the equity in the form of a HELOC and purchase a cash flowing asset that would not only pay for itself but pay for the cost of the money while putting cash into my bank account each month. 

. 😉  Lack of investment capital (money) ought never be the obstacle because if the deal is right, the money will always appear.Then, you’ll need great data sources both for identifying opportunities and confirming the facts.

I’m currently working on a deal in Fort Lauderdale & actively looking for financing solutions like hard money or private lending.

Given your assumptions, you are not going to be able to get enough of a loan to fully cover the rehab, even with a hard money loan, so you'll need to pull in cash from elsewhere.One possibility is to have your mom sell you the house with a personal loan, not one attached to the property. 

sounds like someone got a nasty gram.. we see this with the syndicators that are called out then threaten the investor who called them out.. or anyone else companing about a service only to have the company either threaten or tell them if you take this down or retract we will give you your money back.. kind of like landlords lying about how great their dead beat tenant is to just get them to move on to the next landlord. 

Quote from @Chris Garnes: Sounds like you need the money for rehab? 

I use apartments.com, so the money didn't end up in my account until 1/6/25.Is this considered income for 2024 or 2025? 

He likely needs to stay where he is, save up money for a downpayment on his own, and buy when HE is ready.He's not ready. 

Here's an ideal PM contract: The two keys are: The PM is incentivized to make you money, not charge high fees, and is contractually bound to provide reporting that you can understand in a timely manner.