The renovation will convert a row single family home into 3 family home ( the layout is already there ):- the first flow will be 1 bed, 1 bath- the second floor will be 2b, 1bath- the basement.If those 3 rents, I can easily have $1800-$2000 in gross rent per month.So any creative financial idea I can propose to him?

Wholesaling in SoCal can be tough....i haven't found the competition factor a set-back yet..if your really out in the streets, knocking on doors, at your court houses, county buildings consistently you find there are not as many wholesalers as you may think actively wholesaling.....there are quiet a bit of people talking and wanting to get in...i use the county buildings and the court houses for my leads...there are some really great untapped resources and tons of different types of leads you can get from those two places...and of course I have not discovered anything brand new...im just realizing the sucess is in the fight and how hard you want it...when i found out about these two sources i started to pull data from them and let me tell you it was overwhelming...but it was a gold mine...before i made enough money to pay someone to do this for me....i had to spend hours and hours and hours daily scrubbing data....finding address and owners names...etc...i have a system now and it runs smooth...i find some really great deals throughout LA County and Riverside County...I have 2 cash buyers that have bought all my deals...thats another important thing find real cash buyers...when i first started out i didnt have real buyers and i found out other wholesalers were acting as cash buyers just passing my deals on and on and it became a daisy chain leading to no where...Anyway i love wholesaling and i could type all day..if you want some creative ideas to find properties PM me....but dont give up...and don't let anyone discourage you about SoCal...its tough and it will literally make you cry....lol but its great place to start wholesaling...if your willing to put in the work...

There are certainly creative finance opportunities here in PHX.

You're on a great track with creative ideas like this one.

Some of them get creative and get roommates, have to find a part time job to supplement their income or move to a less expensive place though that can be hard for long time residents as all of their support is in the area. 

@Michael Dumler did a great job answering the 'creative strategy' question.'

The buyer's agent had to get very creative to get them this home of mine.

I think it's best to be creative in how you can "earn" money instead of "save" money, as it'll 1) accumulate quicker and 2) teach a valuable skill.Hope that helps!

What are some creative ways I can come up with the down payment and rehab money?

Or, for the newbie, begin to help understand how creative real estate investing works.