I look for a highly recommended mortgage broker and see what interest rates and mortgage products they have.  

It may be good to have a couple of mentors or people to bounce info/ recommendations off of.

I already use RentRedi for the rentals and am content for the moment, but Monarch was a great recommendation. 

Ensure they send pictures and reports so you can monitor progress.4.Hire Trusted Contractors: Work only with contractors who come highly recommended by people you trust.

It recommends charging $1,000/month plus utilities, maintaining the property, and drafting a written agreement.

I don't feel like I weighed all my options before purchasing because I was on a tight timeline - so for my next deal this is my question for you: If you're just getting started on your first flip and you had ANY funding source available to you - what would be your recommendations of top 4 funding sources in order of your preference? 

I recommend anyone else do the same.

Would recommend working with a trusted broker instead. 

Remember you are using debt to make this investment, not reserves  sitting in your bank account so I recommend a more conservative investment approach. 

That would be my recommendation is to buy an investment property and remain where you are.