It's such an emotional rollercoaster - not one that I will get off until the fat lady sings but I thought some stories from BPers who thought their deals were dead - when ultimately they weren't - would help me ride out the emotional wave.Thanks in advance for sharing!

Do as much of the rehab as you can in 2-3months.  

There will be lots of knowledgeable people willing to respond to you.I do recommend that you narrow down your questions and ask them as specifically as you can. In

I am new to REI and bigger pockets but am looking to learn all I can in order to get my self to my goal of investing in my first property.

Yes you can in California.  

@Waylon Themer  may be able to give you more pointers then I can in this area. 

Using common investor loans you can (in the example above) gain the income of a $100,000 property with only $20,000.

Maybe if I can in, raise rents, and then refi, I could get his money back to him in about a year or so.  

So, I'd suggest, when you're actually willing to work and get off you fat back sides, to get your tail out from behind a computer screen, off the couch and get some decent shoes on and walk and talk, Learn how to meet people face to face, knock doors, strike up a conversation at the café about what you do.

You can in fact rent a 1912 house without either slim margins or frustration.As for your actual question, Pat has it exactly right.