IE wholesaling but that takes money and major sales skills.. and a market that has a lot of excess inventory and rental inventory.. it really depends on where your living and working.. all the guru training materials say just about the same thing there is nothing brand new .. just the same methods or schemes repackaged and regurgitated to enduce those who want it all now and are willing to pay for fast track.think MLM..

Should I go for it and spend the money up front then refi, or should I sit back, leave the good tenants alone, enjoy the cash flow, live with the property in my view looking slightly rundown, and wait to do any major updates after a tenant leaves.P.S.

As it stands my knowledge is pretty basic, just what I've learned browsing the forums and gleaming through materials online, but I'm a quick study and want to really make an effort My specific areas of interest are wholesaling, buy and hold for rent purposes, and flipping once I become knowledgeable enough about the Philadelphia market. 

Still, he was able to keep the place consistently rented for 3 years before selling and had no major repairs, so he thought it was successful.

You can also look for the Landlord Tenant Handbook on-line published by the HCIDLA. 

Not too much need for major structure changes. 

How major is the repairs and would you be willing to repair the unit for yourself while househacking?

Are you paying him $5000 to be at the auction, or to simply bid on the house online, and then move through closing?

., online and/or in person.The information I need to know is (And maybe not in this order):1) How do I find Residential Mortgage Loan Originators in Montana, who know how to write-up a loan for this type of transaction, to be compliant with SAFE Act, etc?

Not only because I had the connections and market knowledge, but also because it's a much cheaper market.So I went ahead and connected with a local investor through online search (unfortunately there are not many Portuguese in BiggerPockets).