Given the scope of your work, a simple plumbing leak would not concern me, it's a $200 issue at the most and ideally, it's just another line item when you do rough in plumbing for the kitchen.Being in a Milwaukee suburb, I am guessing it's a 1960s ranch, probably with galvanized plumbing.

Surprising you can get a heloc on an investment property - those are tough.

You can read a book and multiple books, but unless you are out there doing it (I.e. getting bids and getting contractors to truly get you an exact estimate) you will be far off from the numbers you want and may even lose money on the flip/rehab.The best advice I would suggest in my experience is that you should get into the line of work by either partnering with someone or working with someone on some projects prior to going into a flip on your own.

They were simply the king of online bookstores. 

Hi @Jasmine Thermitus welcome to Bigger Pockets and congratulations on getting started on your real estate journey!

Quote from @Scott MacComb: I have had contractors just do a small list on a paper napkin, and some do something on a word document.

Hey man, congrats on the first deal! 

Our actual carriers used to be Secura, but they seem to be getting out of a lot of insurance lines or pricing so high as to have customers drop off, and we just moved policies in Nov. to Hanover Insurance. 

I've bought a ton of homes pre-foreclosure and at auction, happy to be a resource on that stuff, plus we just launched Bid Pirate, which is the one place online for NH, where you can see all the upcoming foreclosure auctions in one spot - you can learn a lot from the regulars at the auctions........ get after it, sister!

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to find these lenders?