I feel sorry for the people losing everything in the fires , insurance will go up .But I wish I was the guy  driving this bulldozer ;t=162s

I renovated the home while 3 of my friends lived with me and paid my mortgage.

You may be able to find a home that fits your needs. 

If we include investments in mortgage loans (trust deeds), real estate partnerships, REITs as well as direct property ownership, I’m at about 80%.  

Financing, pm, insurance, downpayment, etc.

We finally close with title insurance.14. seller is holed up  its a massive hoarder situation as bad as I have ever seen.15. another 6 months to get eviction.so about 30 months later we finally take possession and bull doze house and built three new homes.  250k in out for 30 months  another 30k in legal fees..

Give me a shout if you have questions, but here's the short of it.Best financing is going to be from a bank or a conventional construction loan.

Quote from @Devin James: Im currently learning this lesson with New Builds that have taken twice as long to complete than anticipated.....Finishing a Real Estate project ASAP is critical because...1) Holding Costs add up quickly- Loan Interest- Property Taxes- Insurance2) Investor Capital- Our financial projections are dependent on how fast we can turn our investors capital.

Is the loan assumable? 

If you are setting aside funds for capex, taxes, insurance, or other expenses that don't occur monthly, transfer those funds to Savings each month and hold them there until it's time to spend them.