So I would say spend the extra money to hire the contractor, watch & learn, and start doing smaller tile jobs until you are confident enough to take on a project like this. 

I am just wondering if anyone has been in this situation before, and has found a good way to get my money in and get my money out.Any advice is good advice.

We have completed 7 deals and to date have made money on each one.

Since a VA inspector would need to verify the condition and value of a home before the money is lent, does this mean there is no way to buy a foreclosure with VA loan financing?

The subsidized money is nice because even if the tenant stops paying their portion you're still getting something.

You might think that 50% or more of the time I’ll lose money on the investment because the model doesn’t explicitly include those.

A successful partnership has different partners bringing traits such as experience, money and time.Does anyone within your group of 4 friends have experience?

@Chris Seveney, we own one investment property and have some money in retirement, but we just started saving so its not a large amount yet, so I wouldn't say we have a ton of assets at this point.

I was wondering if it would be possible to raise grant money to help me do it.

They will be built by those that want to profit from cheap labor to put more money in their own pocket.