@Lisa Eisenhauer thank you for your detailed response Lisa.my hesitancy with titan is that they are a nigerian bank. and my hesitancy with solera is that the are pretty new small bank. given how small banks that have failed in the past, i feel more comfortable with going with someone like chase. here is list from fdic of recent failures: https://www.fdic.gov/resources/resolutions/bank-failures/fai...however, since i ran into problems with chase based on what i described in this post:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/1150830-bank-...i wanted to know  who i can go with. so i called solera, firstly the person who picked up transferred me to an IRA LLC bank specialist. when my call go transferred, the specialist was i guess working from home and had a crying baby i could hear. that was my first uncomfortable momemt. i don't accept that from a bank. maybe a small retail company or something.secondly, i asked her if you know how an ira llc bank account is set up and i want to make sure it's set up correctly so i have some questions i'd like to understand your process. she right away asked me who is my document provider. and i was like, what is a document provider. she asked who set up your llc and i told her i did that. she said well we usually work with document provider because it's not a typical llc and is set up differently.i assured that the my llc is not an issue, i do  have that set up properly. it is manager managed. i am the manager. my ira is the 100% owner/member of it. then she assumed that my ira is with solera. and i told no, i have it at another custodian, all i want to do at solera is to set up a bank account. and what i want to know is when you open an account at your end, in the bank account who do you put as the owner of llc. she told me well it's a business account that llc owns. and you will be the manager on the account.and i told her, yes, i already know that and that's how it is currently set up at chase. the issue i am asking about is who will be listed as the owner of the llc at your end on the bank acct.. it should be "xyz custodian fbo shaz...IRA" and it should NOT be me. she goes. llc will be the bank owner.i think i had to repeat 3 times that i am  not asking whether or not bank accout will be under llc. i am asking in filling out your paperwork for opening the bank account, does it anywhere ask who is the owner of the llc and if so, who will you put. she goes, oh we dont' mention that anywhere but if you did have your ira with us then we will have "solera bank ..custodian fbo shaz...IRA". 

I would get a real estate license and work part time on weekends broker hate doing open houses sit at those you will pick up clients and investors that way.. get on a good team.. 

If I could, pick your brain a bit more, how much do you typically set aside for things like CapEx/Vacancy?

Highly recommend you start listening to any of the BiggerPockets Podcasts and pick some various topics you may be interested in and see how you may be able to take action, the most important thing you can do!

He received quotes to remove the texture ceiling, paint the interior, purchase and install new kitchen cabinets and counters (including completing the design), picked out 2 floorings to get quotes which will be provided this week, and determined furnace is beyond saving (I will likely get HVAC quote for him).  

The big play for tax sale in CA is bare land in the high deserts and in the areas that have a lot of old recreational communities were lots never got built on.

@Matthew Giblin you're highly unlikely to succeed if you spread yourself over 4 markets.Recommend you do more research and just pick one of the 4 markets.Then do a trial run and see how it goes. 

Why did you pick them in the first place?  

that was not a method that Armando taught in the seminars I attended these were strickly how to find BRRR props and rehab them and then resell or refi and keep.. the Markets we worked were Vegas and Orlando and Frankly those investors who actually bought property doubled their money or more with the deals i funded for them and they bought on their own it was 2011 to 2013 which as we know was a prime buying time and had to hand it to Armando he picked two of the best Markets.. 

If I may pick your brain a bit more.