I'd start here, as people with this designation frequently speak more than 1 language and specialize in working with clients from different countries around the world. 

@Jack OrthmanIt’s common here in Coastal Orange County, CA due to the salt air requiring frequent painting and additional maintenance.

Area often get frequent highs over 100 degrees in summer and soil not the best.

It is a frequent misconception out there. 

A great quote I heard from one of the podcasts is "vacuum the truck".

Probably more uncommon than not, but something we do come across frequently.  

Welcome @Joe Miller Failing frequently is the fastest way to success...

My understanding of loans and financing is pretty limited.The latter scenario you describe of financing the purchase and rehab and then performing a cash-out refinance is quite frequently practiced.Often, an investor will get a loan for the purchase and rehab of the subject property, and then (after seasoning) cash-out refinance using a traditional bank loan.

Hi Ryan, I work with investors in CA pretty frequently.

There is plenty of discussion on this topic as it comes up frequently.