Keep in mind that most residential mortgages are conforming loans that are resold on the secondary market and bundled into mortgage backed securities.

I secured my first duplex in Rochester and it is fully rented generating better than expected returns.

. - that were new when the S8 tenant moved in 1-2 years ago.Another challenge of finding S8 tenants is many EXPECT you to waive application fees and security deposits. 

You can get another $5-10 per night just for allowing pets (don't forget to take a security deposit). 

Budget $15-$20k for a rewire.To take it a step further, if you build a relationship with your subcontractors they may even teach you how they estimate so you can repeatedly build a robust estimate completely on your own.Excluded from the above is foundation issues & outages in the framing (often caused by foundation issues).

All other coins are securities or scams, bitcoin is property. 

Always ask for references and examples of similar projects (pictures)The Red Flags you have to Avoid:Lowball bids (too good to be true often is).Poor communication or delays in responding.Hesitation to provide references or sign a detailed contract.Cash-only deals or pushy behavior to secure the job.

There's also the possibility of becoming the squeaky wheel by calling the police (*not* security) to report the matter.

In addition to using your own funds, have you looked into securing grants to "stack" the capital you have to still acquire properties?

You could setup something where the fees are deferred until you secure the construction loan and then pay them 1.5-2x their standard fee if they waited the 6-18 months to get paid.