you can search by score and see what banks, merchants approve in that range, and what bureau they pull from typically. 

I may expand to the Murrieta or Temecula area later but for now I'll keep my searching to these cities as the prices are somewhat more affordable.  

Before calling the loan officers and setting up an appointment, go to their website and search locations, start with the bank that has the fewest  branch locations.

It comes with a tool that looks like a wire.

A quick and simple evaluation tool is this. 

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcast If you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select the name of that person which should appear below the comments box.

They then have another realization that “sweat equity” is actually hard and requires tools, time, and a know-how in order to do the job right.When you’re under contract you’ll come up with a scope of work and budget, submit it for approval to the lender, and you’ll be able to make draws once you’ve closed and started the project.

Essentially, a quick Google search and plugging a property into the BiggerPockets calculators doesn't make for a good partnership or joint venture, and people are going to be reluctant to dump their money into someone they don't know that does not have a resume.

With that in mind, you should expand your search to get you to the best financial position possible.

Granted, BP has lots of wonderful tools for us to use, but with over 1.7 million members it seems like we should be able to work some type of deal with Quickbooks to give members, or even just Pro members a discounted price.