Our short term goal is to cut our teeth on a few fix and flip or fix and hold single family properties.

At least that gives you some teeth when a new cat shows up in your place without your knowledge!  

As to a RMLO, they are not really in a position to underwrite or even originate options, they may originate a note and under a properly licensed mortgage banker or brokerage allowed to originate high cost mortgages......and those will be hard to find who are compliant doing an equity funded note, like finding hen's teeth.

I am renting a gorgeous apartment for $1000 just next to the office and have $30k on my savings account.I am thinking of buying a house for $100k-$130k.

Beyond my work, I cut my teeth with my first primary residence purchase in Dec of 2014, and now it's time to get a few more under my belt.

Keep in mind the context here from the DNS end of things, they have no idea who you are, you're from out of town and they've seen so many slumlords over the years and I'm sure many of them lied and said they were going to be the best thing for the block and the city and they were lying through their teeth about that to the DNS, so they have a right to be suspicious of anyone new who comes along. 

After i signed the purchase agreement, it was like pulling-teeth trying to get confirmations from them, or any type of communication. 

It's hard to go to people like friends and family for money, but if you cut your teeth there asking bankers for money becomes easy.

There are plenty of suburbs in SE Michigan you can cut your teeth on.

It took me three months, and I had to pull teeth to get much of information, but it hits all the important areas such as all the hidden fees, investor protections (or lack thereof), gotchas in the legal structures, etc.