I have some leases that are Month to Month and I just want to make sure that will not hurt me during the process.

I almost fell for one a few months back, it was 8k, thankfully after some digging decided to just put that money into finding off market deals.  

Think New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, etc.The problem with that though is a) You may not be able to afford anything there, or b) If you can afford a downpayment you'll be eating negative cash flow.In short, the highest appreciating markets may cost you too much per month to participate in because they have large negative cash flow.So you need to find a market that balances the two.

Was curious about the process and possibility of securing a rental via a hard money loan and refinancing out of it within a month.

I've tried to buy decent properties in decent neighborhoods to minimize my risk, which also means there's not a TON of monthly cashflow, but I'm in it for the long haul and really truly looking for passive income or at least as passive as it can be. 

If you read a few of my previous posts, you can see how much money I'm losing every month in the Midwest. 

As a new agent you will find that many brokerages require you to be full time- How will you be able to meet and fully service clients if you’re not available for them?  

If you think about it, flipping is a challenge month after month and year after year. 

Many lenders will require a 12 month lease to be in place along with the security deposit and first month rent collected. 

Lastly, this loan would need to be heavily dependent on the actual property instead of my tax returns as I just quit my job a few months back to go full-time into Real Estate.