Use your own money?

The only exception might be if you plan to and if your market supports short term rentals.

If you’re not in a rush to tap your equity, holding off until rates come down could save you money in the long run.

you may have to save up until you have enough money to do so - down payment, closing costs, reserves, etc.House Hacking: What Is It, How to Start, and Strategies for Successit's a more powerful way to get started. 

In those days it was possible to locate and tie up a “killer” deal, and close the transaction with absolutely zero of the investors own money.

An example would be mixing your personal and LLC money in the same bank account.3.

Instead of shelling out $60K for a $250K deal, maybe some of you can help me figure out (or give referrals) to title companies, etc, or give overall advice how to save me money from this enormous financial endeavor (closing the deal).Thanks!

Did you use a hard money loan for this? 

I personally would look to a growing market and then exchange the money back to CA later, when things soften up.

I fired them last year.I just opened my mail to find a notice from a COLLECTION AGENCY stating I owed them money.