Long story short- I'm currently doing a live-in flip and plan on selling the finished product in the Spring.

Options are still a great tool in the tool box, it's going to take some education to learn what they really are and do as opposed to the folklore found in public forums, blogs and sold as a product by gurus.

I had everything all set, but the investors I was working with were just too slow to move and I wasted so much time on some fantastic deals.

This is a formula for a neighborhood moving into distress appreciation slows are stops and values decline.A good target market is in an area that is still in its growth period, demand is stable or growing.

Work very hard not to become a Real Estate Expert or you will find it extremely difficult to scale your business (you want to avoid creating a job).As a sidenote right now is a GREAT time of year to get started, the holidays are only "slow" for the wholesalers who stop marketing during this time of year.Whatever you do, try to focus on revenue activities instead of  complicated CRM's, cool looking business cards and setting up a LLC or S corp.You are about to go on a Great Adventure!

I agree it's good to shop for the best price and the best product for your rehabbing needs.  

It explains a lot of the slow work that was being done and the many delays.  

The property is a rental.I know this loan product is available. 

Then later you will be putting in quite a bit of cash if it needs all the things you say.The only benefit to holding would be the monthly equity buildup thru principal reduction on your mortgage, which is a slow, (and some depreciation) but fairly sure way to amass equity,  a free house in 15 to 30 years is a great thing., but 30 years is a long time...however you have to be prepared for the possibility that the rents could go down and not cover the mortgage (not too likely in my opinion) or the vacancy factor could go up and you again may not be able to cover the mortgage.Lastly if we have another crash in values and it goes down under what you owe then your $35k equity could disappear.These scenarios could cause you to  end up giving it back to the bank and ruin you credit thru no fault of your own.

After reading about the HouseFlippingSpreadSheet on J Scott's web site I am thinking about buying it since I am planning on doing my first rehab next year.J's recommendation goes a long way IMO but I was curious if anyone else has any suggestions or advise about this product or any other similar products they use and recommend.