I joined a real group and was contacted by real estate agent who wants to work with me to buy my first home I'm about to get a pre-approval letter what should I do if I don't have the down payment is there options fo...

Alternatively, you could sell the property for some quick cash and then use that as down payment on another property.Good luck

I am hoping to streamline it some day so I can have my spreadsheet in the truck with me, and simply bump budgets up and down as I sit out front and be able to make an offer while I am viewing.

I've never heard of a tow truck operator being arrested for grand theft auto.

If anyone has any suggestions or links that I can research for alternate financing strategies please let me know.

Alternatively, you could put the water heater into vacation mode and just shut off the furnace.

As experienced investors, what alternate financing processes would you use?

Without getting into all of the details, it's an expensive proposition for a small duplex.Although seemingly better suited for large properties, I looked into a submetering system as an alternative.  

Another alternative , maybe it's just the company you work for , the company culture,etc  and perhaps switching jobs to a different company might make things better? 

This may be a solution and better alternative to a hard money lender for a first time flipper.