Using other peoples money is a great way to keep you honest on the project as well keep the project out of your pocket.I thought funding my own would give me control but what it really did was hogtie my leverage and made me emotional in my decisions.There may come a time when funding everything makes sense, but even if you do a few flips with HML, you will understand the process, have a foot in the door and be positioned to act on ANY opportunity when it comes along.And having a bunch of your own employees just means that they are looking to you or leaving you if the work slows down. 

After submitting the application and credit check, he also informed me that his girlfriend would be bringing her "emotional support dog" with her during her stays?

It is going to take a disciplined plan to deal with the short term "musts" and then set yourself up for an easier time in the long run.

How disciplined are you to put the time into learning Schedule E and depreciation forms?

That is a guide into how to connect with the ideal client emotionally, which will inform your copy and imagery. 

@Weronika Jedrak I suspect the cat is going to become an emotional support animal for which you cannot charge. 

One, it's the discipline of having a 15 year that I would follow.

If it's a rental, take emotions out.

He hired me to advise him on a property he bought in Phoenix and then ignored my advice, did his own thing and the deal went south because he made emotional decisions.

Emotionally, it sucks to take a hit and not own anything, but I don't want to fall into the sunk cost fallacy, and it would be nice to be out of the landlord game on a house that doesn't cash-flow positive.