To answer your questions here though:Alternative options - I was going to sell all my stocks and etfs, take out a HELOC, and some credit cards to try to shoestring together enough to the deal without a hard money loan. 

The only other option I see is a short sale, if you don't need to purchase for a few years and don't mind a temporary credit hit to save the $60k.  

@Collin Luckettjust curious - do you have a successful track record of flips, or are you looking to do your very first one? 

While I do not have an official W-2 currently, I do have a steady income, great credit, and have money saved as well from working since I was 13 years old.I relate to Ian Kay in his journey but also am very determined to make my goals/dreams a reality this year by July 2025.

They already have a track record (good or bad) with you, so you can decide based on payment history, inspections, etc.

Real estate actually takes access to capital and/or credit. 

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?

There are also 'mezz' lenders (typically for larger transactions) who will cover up to 90% CLTV and require you to bring the remaining equity to the deal, and additionally there is Gap Funding in the form of unsecured personal debt.The latter can potentially be the most expensive option, but allows for true 100% financing as there are no restrictions for how to use these funds, as they are unsecured, and generally obtained through personal credit, income etc (since there is no collateral for obtaining these funds).

My W2 income is very high (+$500k), excellent credit, but I hate my job and I want to leave within a year or two. 

Some will be ok in 2nd position and some will not and force you to refinance out the first - but those are options that are probably cheaper than credit cards