I'm willing to leave the property empty for a year to take advantage of owner occupied loans, if that's possible.Here are my estimates..Property: 1,355 sq ft, | 3br 2bath | 8,500 sq ft lotComps / ARV: 500-560k ~ 530kTotal Needed: 340-400k ~370kSale Price: 270-310k ~ 290kRenovations: 70-90k ~ 80kSevere cleaning needed (doing myself)Severe landscaping needed, it's a jungleI'd like to maximize potential value and be at the top of in-area comps, so would like to do a full gutCash on hand: 20k - 30k------------I'm considering,- Seller financing + separate renovation loan- FHA 203K (BRRR)- Fannie Mae Homestyle Renovation (if down payment is below 5%) (BRRR)------------Seller Financing + Separate Renovation LoanPros:Low down payment (via seller willingness) <= 3%Low interest rate (via seller willingness) <= 3%Cons:I'm unaware of how I can finance rehab without a personal loanMust cash-out refinance to obtain equity, conventional loan rate will not be as good------------FHA 203KPros:Low down paymentBundles rehab costsCons:Higher interest rate than the seller financed loanMust cash-out refinance in order to obtain equity and make an investment property------------Fannie Mae Homestyle RenovationPros:Bundles rehab costsCons:Higher interest rate than the seller financed loanMust cash-out refinance in order to obtain equity and make an investment property------------I may be totally off on what would be optimal here but wanted to provide my current thoughts.

I heard they are scamming people, but never dealt with them personally

There are three main requirements for REPS: 1) 750 hour rule 2) Greater than half of professional time rule3) Material participationHere’s a great article that walks through the necessities for your spouse to obtain REPS status.Do you have questions on the ways to benefit from a cost segregation study without personally obtaining REPS status?

WHEN I LOOK AT ALL THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS AND TALK TO CONTRACTORS THEY ALL SAY PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING, THEY ARE VERY SIMPLE TO ASSEMBLE WITH LIKE 5 PERSON CREW, ONLY TAKES MAYBE 15 DAYS.

It gives you perhaps a more thorough view of the type of person they are. 

Quote from @Jason Weber: I am curious to know how many properties/units this person is managing and how much you are saving by hiring them instead of a professional property manager.Management involves a lot more than collecting rent, showing vacant units, and turnover.

I personally save a fortune on taxes and my clients do very well with this strategy.

Personally, what I've been doing is simply adding up these individual expenses, and then come tax time or whatever, simply divide it among the number of properties that I have, and then add that number to the specific unit in question's maintenance/repair expenses.

I hope you'll take that for what it is and just encourage people to continue their growth through knowledge (even if they do pay for it). 

Your draft person should know about this, but make sure you check this.