A couple of Roof claims due to storm damage in Tucson, and we had several sub-to deals in Oklahoma when grapefruit size hail decimated a big section of the whole town. 

What would be my best approach, I assume find a private lender and work out some deal with them.

You could get at max 70k from that deal (minus closing costs).

These are great for experienced flippers who can handle the tight timelines and costs.Private investing usually involves individuals funding your deal, like friends, family, or networking connections.

However, to close the deal, we each need to contribute an additional $7K.

Most of the rental income can help you qualify for more as well.There are plenty of creative ways to go about getting into your first deal but you may need to get a solid work history before being approved for a residential loan.

I had just mastered the original deal analysis and was getting comfortable analyzing deals.  

We don't bait and switch, we work deals based on actual details of the client's specific deal.

As to effort, most of his students find those deals on MLS.

We don't allow any "deal-making" in the forums, which includes advertising your services or properties, looking for partners, etc.