Fair enough, the numbers didn't look wild on paper.

Watch out - there are a lot of BS "short sale negotiators" and fees vary wildly.

I informed the guy I found at the outset that conventional bank financing would not work due to my special circumstances (mostly because my income fluctuates wildly due to the nature of my work and my 2018 tax paperwork showed a loss)  and inquired about asset based financing, HM, other alternatives based on my balance sheet rather than on my most recent income statement. 

There are still so many unknowns on how to operate, that it still seems like a wild-west of sorts, with no conformity, other than at the 20000 feet level.I am still trying to figure out answers to the questions i have posted, hopefully some other members can chime in, but I will post my own progress and findings as I go through it myself, so it can hopefully help others who are starting out and I know will have the same questions as I do now.

@Davis Culpepper Those are two wildly different markets with different plays.

Every situation is different as individuals have different short term life circumstances and wildly different long term goals and dreams.My only advice is to do your best to match your capital sources / debt with your investment horizon. 

Price in this situation will be wildly different from state to state and for many other variables.

The advice for New York and Las Vegas is wildly different. 

A half dozen kids running wild will destroy your house! 

That’s wild!