As for the initial post, I would ask a few questions to shed some guiding light.

Should I stick with my partners for the initial flips or go the hard money route?

Just like in Southern Italy, where houses are sold for as little as one euro, similar initiatives exist in Spain to attract people to repopulate villages and revitalize these areas." the one part I'd disagree with is "many".So why was I shocked then?

It has lost its initial focus on investment strategy and descended into a marketing place for scammers.

I signed the contract mentioned above, that initially said no closing points to lendbase when we find a loan.  

Having a vision for future projects like the ones you mentioned are great, but learning the ABCs of RE with a small investment (initial down payment - since you only need 3.5%-5% down on a primary) is the best way to sharpen your skills.

Initially, I was told it would take 60 days.

To fully illustrate this, there was a poster who was looking for 100% financing for construction in Philly but also wanted the lender to advance costs for the initial phases of construction.

@Lindsie Akers“‘Peer to Peer lending (on Prosper) - Invested $10,000 initially - receive $320/month for 3 years. $320 x 12 months = $3,849/$10,000 initial investment = 38% CoC ReturnThe Legacy Income Model (this is a product a financial planning firm created specifically for Tardus clients) - Invested $10,000 initially - receive $310/month for 3 years. $310 X 12 months = $3,720 in a year. $3,720/$10,000 initial investment = 37% CoC Return”So I’m confused by the above.  

You can use a SQ FT format to guess rehab but that is only good to initially look at a deal.