We use them and they are not my favorite at all but they do book a lot of our more urban units and they do help fill some last minute space

My favorite source is Navy Federal for its long draw period of 20 years, and Figure for its fast funding.  

You could pay the contractors but if you can be a strong referral source I'm sure they'd be happy to give you estimates.

That being said, your typical cost of capital is as follows:EquityAgency debtBalance Sheet local lenderDebt FundPrivate DebtPref EquityHard Money DebtBookie/Loan SharkOther things that will impact capital sources: are you wanting to finance the improvements, or will you pay for those from equity/cash flow?  

My favorite way to find a mentor was to look on Zillow for houses for rent in your area and then click on the ones that are 'for rent by owner' then call them and introduce yourself as an investor in the area who is looking to meet new investors. 

It gives us a great source of contacts, referrals, and we help each other out.

I have a suggest or 2 on sources if you want to PM me. 

“A new Michigan law bans many landlords from rejecting tenants based on source of income, like housing vouchers, veterans’ benefits or Social Security.Gov.

Private Money is simply money from a non-institutional source...such as someone lending out of their personal IRA or from their savings. 

My favorite quote I got off of BP.