I buy the finished product items like kitchen cabinets, fans, fixtures, etc. and drop them off  and give contractor HD gift card for all of the rough materials. 

Most people that are trying to do prop 19 planning are doing irrevocable trusts or outright gifts to their children.

A high net worth individual should have a life book and a gift and estate planning program in place and an understanding of how current and future tax laws may affect them. 

-A conventional 1st mortgage lender wont even fund a deal if they know you are borrowing the 20% downpayment and that it needs to be repaid (this means your private lender would need to sign a 'gift letter' stating the money does not need to be repaid)-It is going to be almost impossible to find a property that cash flows with 100% financing.You say you're not ready to buy til the end of this year or next year anyway.

During my childhood, I was gifted approx $150k in property value from my grandparents between 1997-2001.

Borrowers who use hard money typically pay 1-2% of the loan amount when they take out the loan and also 1-2% when they pay it off, so a DSCR loan looks like a gift when compared to terms like this.Another downside to the DSCR loan is that it does come with prepayment penalties.

My lender has told me that the only way I can borrow money from someone else is to have it gifted, they have to show proof of the funds were in their bank for 2 months.

For example,I found a property I wanted to put an offer on but while I was trying to be pre-approved for a loan I found out that gifts aren’t accepted for investment properties, I asked if it made a difference if the money was an investment (family is helping me get started with my portfolio).

This is a bit risky and technical (need a good lawyer to make sure you arent gifting the system to the seller if they get cold feet) but otherwise can work.

Mine learned how to fix, rehab, build anything by doing.Be kind and make food gifts for those who pitch in and penny pinch.