We personally didn't want to do joint ventures so we discovered the power of creative financing.

Now wish I studied R.E. law in school. 

Is it normal for commercial lenders, particular alternative funding firms, to require a non refundable deposit for appraisals, inspections and multi phase studies?  

The positive that can come from businesses that survive is they discover other parts of their business for growth that they likely did not know existed or gave much attention to.

What you are doing is a common mistake for many, many first-time real estate investors--you go around and around, collecting information, doing more research, learning about the market, studying any and every piece of information you can find, but you NEVER PULL THE TRIGGER.

I tried again, thinking I did something wrong, but discovered they were deleted.

After calling through several pages I've discovered that most places don't offer that/have no idea what I'm talking about.

As I was doing more research I discovered that this triplex was right next door and was for sale by the same owner! 

You can read all 33 pages of it here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/92/topics/392727-morris-invest-case-study-20LESSONS LEARNED:-Properly vet the people you work with-The numbers on paper (no matter how amazing they are) don't automatically make it a great investment-Understand the tenant class you'll attract with that type of low-value asset-Understand the condition of the asset you'll be buying.

This is something you have to study in your market.