Hawaiian real estate law differs from other western states significantly, mostly due to its monarchal heritage and the Bishop Trust influence.The basics are the same as would be in California; determine the condition of title ownership (individual(s), estate (including conservatorship, if appropriate) OR fiduciary acting for trust.Use a qualified private money equity lender to make a loan sufficient to buy out the cash-only beneficiaryThe legal community in HI and Big Island in particular is small.

Tired landlords and conventional loans weren't available.   

After 2 months going back and forth with them, they finally ended up paying 50% of the $9000 bill.

I funded this with US cash, as well as a loan with a Canadian bank.I have shared this process with many friends and other real estate buddies that commended my journey.

Most people don't qualify for that relationship.The seller financing will not show up or affect the credit score.However, when applying for a loan at the bank or especially a Federally Guaranteed loan, they ask on the application for ALL Loans, whether  or not it shows on a credit report.

I am looking to see if there are ways to get creative with downpayment on commercial loans.

@Edward Heath you'll want to check the requirements for the $12.5k loan.

I too live in Marin, and feel it is a solid long term market for apprecaition, and utilizing the power of principle reduction.When it comes to refinancing, figure out what the loan costs will be, then divide that buy the monthly savings with the new loan in order to determine how long you have to maintain that loan to break even. 

@Denise Brown-Puryear I am biased as I co-own BIFI Loan Servicing.

Starting with a smaller property or a few fix-and-flip projects can help you build equity, gain credibility with lenders, and better understand the process before scaling up.Securing funding for larger projects can be challenging without prior experience, but options like hard money loans might be worth exploring.