My dilemma is that the accurate numbers are needed for me to submit a fair offer.The location does play a big role and it’s in south NJ where property prices are on the rise but not as much as northern and central NJ. 

Of course length of season and fringe weekends etc all come into play the 1% a week is a great place to start

You could do an all inclusive deed which is a wrap.Things like title, mortgage, foreclosure and eviction all come into play and those are decided by which state the property is in and the goals of what is acceptable to both parties.

I don't trust HOA's at all and there is no telling how that will play out.

The "coach" was a trained call center person going through a script. 

If the fair rents really are $5,000 a month, then this is a solid long-term play.

It's like a video game you are playing with real money.Do you have friends from local meetups who invest in any of those areas? 

And if not you know them well, maybe your kids play together etc.

My friend has advised me to get gap funding for the down payment but Im unsure how that plays into the hard money lender?

The orange beach came to play bc of low taxes and basically same beach quality.