I have a couple private money options in case the seller financing doesn't work out. 

@Adam Larkin  Adam - were you able to finder a lender for this / how did things work out?

It seems you can tie in all the DD work with the workout work (assuming you do workouts). 

Commercial rates for this type of financing I am guessing may be lower than hard money, so it is worth it to look around and see if this option would work out before trying hard money.

You'd probably need a couple holes per block, and It'd likely be as labor intensive as having a mason re-lay the block wall with rebar and concrete, but you'd be paying cheap unskilled labor instead of a mason, and you wouldn't have as much work on the front and tail end with jacking up your structure.To be honest I've never pumped in concrete with this method but I feel confident with a little resourcefulness you can come up with a good solution there. 

The communication the tenant provides can show their commitment & responsibility.Consider the labor intensity it will take to run a particular property.

If you have a small kitchen you might also consider finding a granite yard that has remnants, it may be cheaper to buy off craigslist but if the transport is figured in and charge for fabricating if you use their scrap then it may work out, especially if you don't have to hoist the granite (think hernia).  

As it was financed, my effective roi based on down payment is nearly 27%.However NorCal properties have gone way too high and so has rents, and rental proportion may not work out.

Because if you’re looking for someone to give you money to buy a cabin in the mountains but you don’t know the first thing about it this idea probably isn’t going to work out.

The storms can be intense and frequent in the summer.