It is widely recognized as a loss leader within the industry and those who are successful normally have a complimentary business such as a brokerage or a construction company that performs complimentary services.

One thing I can assure you, there isn't an asset class in the world that would have me comfortable at 100% leverage.Your money on the sidelines is great in principal but in reality it will be put to work covering the net loss on the properties you buy as you will be overleveraged and won't be able to cover your operating expenses with the rent.

A strong buyers market indicates sellers price cutting and listings being bought under value which would lead to equity losses. 

I run sum numbers for you please see comments below before refinancing and post refinancing .If I were in your position, I would approach it as follows:Initial Investment Assumptions: Market Value: $360,000 Purchase Price: $360,000 Equity: $0,000Financial Breakdown: Hard Money Loan (LTV 100%): $360,000 Interest Rate: 10% (30-Year Amortization) Monthly Payment: $1,995Upfront Costs: Origination fee (1%): $3,600 Closing Costs (3%): $10,800 Renovation Costs: $10,000 2 Month of Carrying Costs During Renovation: $5,390Total Upfront Required: $29,790Total Capital InvestmentPurchased price $360,000 Upfront Costs $29,790Total: $389,790To make this investment work, you need to rent the whole property for at least $3,165/month, refinance it let say after one year with 5% interest with a traditional mortgage.Year One Rent: Monthly Rent Income: $3,165 Monthly Rent Losses during renovations (2 Months): -$6,330 (-$527/month distributed over 12 months) Total Rent Income: $31,650 per year => $ 2,638 per monthMonthly Expenses: Hard Money Loan Payment (10% Interest): $1,995 / per month interest only Property Tax (Assuming $3,000/year): $250 per month Property Insurance (Assumption): $100 per month Utilities (Hydro, Gas, Water): $292 per month Assuming 0% Vacancy first year Assuming 0 % Repairs & Maintenance first year because unit has been recently renovated Total Monthly Expenses: $2,637Monthly Net Cash Flow: $1Post-Renovation Refinancing Strategy:So far, we’ve purchased the property, completed renovations, and rented it out.Next, you can approach the bank for a refinance to consolidate your initial investment of $29,790 plus your 360k debt into a mortgage.

Demand for February/March move-ins should see a notable uptick sometime in January, but you'll for sure see your strongest rental demand in late spring/summer.Your most recent post mentioned that you were going to look for someone for a 6-month lease - I think this is a great way to approach it to minimize vacancy loss while biding your time until we get into the higher demand summer months.Getting creative with your lease term and credits/concessions could also be a good way to solve a few potential problems in one shot. 

My goal while I'm working is to always report a break even or loss until I retire.

He claimed that they had properties ready to sell to me and the 10K was to recover their costs on work that had already been done to prepare the property for me. 

Other sources have certain loss limitations.2.

If you qualify, you can use passive losses, like those from depreciation, to offset your active income.

I don't even think its worth a sub-toSounds like you spoke to collections (who will tell you anything to get money) and not loss mitigation, as paying back due balances are NEVER part of a short sale.