I wanted to start with a cheaper property I could reasonably afford and also learn from.

Actually, I take that back....investing in a course to learn how to make make these loans is an even worse investment. 

Simply put, we start off with the As Repaired/Completed Value (ARV), then subtract from that number a reasonable profit, the rehab cost (scope of work), which we've gotten good at, a contingency reserve for any "unexpecteds", our cost of capital/carrying costs (interest and costs of the leverage used), and our costs/fees on the buy and sell sides of a flip.

I now know what is actually a “red flag problem” and what can wait months, years, or indefinitely to repair.

I am from there and am actually moving back.

So this reason I rented the unit.

Great reason for not pulling deductions forward.I have been retired from a W2 job for some time and my income is at an all time high and will just keep going up with more RE investments. 

I am not quite in that boat of disposable income that I could stomach losing, but I have determined a reasonable strategy of maybe going in 1k at a time on a 3-6 month journey to 10x 5 to 10 transactions.

What is the compelling reason for them to pick you, with your competitive rates, over someone else they've already been using with competitive rates? 

The last few years have been great for investors/homebuyers who bought pre-con, but looking back to the few years after the 2014/15 boom, this wasn't the case, where many had actually committed to buying a property that wasn't quite worth what they signed up for closer to closing because the appraisal weren't matching the contract price, requiring a cash top-up.