Does anyone have any experience with these folks? 

Greetings folks!

Having extra liquidity will also help as you may run into some growing pains as you begin your journey as a flipper. 

Hi Kevin,I'm a big fan of buying with cash and my thought process is quite contrary to everyone else's.Cash is KingCashflow is QueenLeverage can be a peasant lolOne can retire investing in Toledo with $1m in cash.Off-course, this all depends on how many villages you need to feed 🤓I have too many "villagers" on my back so it's a bit of a different story for me.Sub $100,000 markets like Toledo require volume to work and to be worth the risk if you are looking to buy and hold.Not much growth potential long term so I would consider it a strict cashflow play.Start slow and small and you can always scale up once you learn the market.Or call it quits and exit if you decide it's not for you.IMO, leverage should only be used to scale a portfolio and only after you have immersed yourself enough in a specific market.And only once you have decided that you want to stick around in that specific market and invest in it long term.Over the years, I've witnessed many folks use leverage and attempt BRRRR out of state only to fall short and say "the market sucks and it doesn't work".Nothing works unless you make it work and a market like Toledo can work better than any other market I know from a cashflow perspective.I've been investing since 2014 and flipped hundreds along with currently managing 400 SFH.Only this year have I started buying small multifamily properties.It's an adjustment and a different animal but let's just say it's in the same breed of animal lolImmerse yourself in a specific market and become an "expert" on the numbers in that market.Find off market deals, negotiate hard, buy with cash and buy quickly.You make money when you buy and not when you sell so you must buy cheap.There are many ways to skin a cat mate and this is how I get my fur lolWishing you much success

And many folks write it off completely because of stagnant population.

If I place a super-complainer, or someone that frequently pays late, that cuts into my very thin margins and is my problem...and I don't want folks like that.

You'd be surprised how many folks close to you are interested in RE OR are already involved in RE to some degree. 

Sharing profits with your GC can give them extra incentive to do quality work and stay on schedule. but it's essential to have a clear agreement in place to avoid misunderstandings.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!

I spent a lot of time schmoozing folks when I was rebuilding a house in Gatlinburg.