Well the teachers union wants more money, every pension fund is under water in every city dept. crime is at an all time high so more money will be needed to fight it, and the only way to deal with it especially in the democratic Chicago machine is to raise taxes.

I will say this emphatically though:  Don't start until you know how you are going to fund this all the way to the end.

I am currently 19 years old and I have a MAD desire to be financially free.

I would also like to see what the possibilites are of becoming a Hard Money lender at some point  but first I think I need to learn the business before I even think of lending out funds.

The reason I want to seller finance the deal is because I would really rather not tie up all of my funds into one deal.

It is an old, but desirable property in a great area.  

I have the ability to fund deals and share profits in order to learn to flip.  

If it's not uncomfortable for you, and if you have someone you know with the funds, you can use a friend or relative's money in a private money deal.

Then you can control how the funds are invested and put them to work in real estate, private mortgages, etc. 

Dane, if both you and your wife are part of the business then both of your can roll over each of your retirement accounts (with the exception being Roth IRA) into newly setup Solo 401k plan and use those funds for alternative investments.