Because little Johnny's Mommy wasn't too pleased when showed what the "nice kid with a backpack" gave him for selling him his "toy" and found out it was worth a whole lot more than a "handful of jelly beans".... 

I have done a handful of flips using cash, partnering with friends, and making it work. 

Tough situation.Sounds like your mortgage forces your hand. 

I have done it successfully on my last 2 buildouts, maybe 3, but only because I was able to acquire the properties at a very low price and I did all the work in-house (myself and some hired hands on staff).

Do you want to be hands-off?

Since this is a short-term flip, the IRS usually sees it as active income, but if your role is truly hands-off, there might be a way to treat it differently.Have you thought about how you’re structuring the deal?

-- if you're looking for a way to get your hands onto more capital quickly you could certainly do this.

As a beginner investor based in the Seattle metro area, I'm eager to learn from your experiences and share my journey as I get started in this field.My current strategy is to focus on live-and-flip for the first three deals (looking for my second deal) to gain hands-on experience while building equity and learning the ins and outs of renovation and the local market. 

I was mislead and should seek mediation to recover some or all of the earnest/hand/deposit money?

I see where Sub2 can and has been a good tool in the right hands.