Leveraging your GC company for value-add multifamily is a huge advantage.

The advantage is that rehab loans are based on the value of your home after the improvements.Since Home 1 will be the quickest to move on, please DM me the state where Home 1 is located, the purchase price and how much you have spent on rehabs to-date.

On the other hand, I feel one of the main advantages of passive investments (via syndication/crowdfunding) is that I can hire a manager who has years more experience than I can ever hope to obtain myself.

It also does help if you have a well-known lake, park, etc. in the area but since Salt Lake City is nearby that could possibly be to your advantage. 

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

Seems like taking advantage of people to me, to line his pocket, but what do I know?  

Most people are just too lazy to take advantage of them.

As many have mentioned, most fix-and-flip loans allow lenders to fund up to 90% of the purchase price and 100% of the rehab costs, but they typically won’t exceed 75% of the ARV.However, If you're not including a rehab budget, lenders often cap the loan at around 70% of the purchase price, which might explain the situation you're encountering.It’s generally more advantageous to include a portion of the rehab budget in the loan.

And I feel like I got took advantage of.

It is important to remember that a solid agent is not just opening doors for you, their biggest value would be in the negotiations and right now, buyers have a real advantage if one knows how to go about it.