I explained that I did not mind him having a draw as long as certain work is completed, etc. 

Midwest sounds like the spot to be.

Going back to John's post and example, someone hired to shovel the driveway or complete handyman work seems like an independent contractor relationship, not an employee relationship.

. - Downtown location, near restaurants and a 3 min walk to train station- Only 2 off street parking spots, street is permit parking only but there is free parking down the street- Units have just been completely renovated- The city does not have any ordinances against short term rentalsThe biggest hurdles for me are: we're about to go into a slump/down season; potential parking issues; and if one of the other units were rented long term - dealing with the hassles related to that.

@Alison CromwellIn order to obtain a flip loan with no consistent income history, the following steps need to be undertaken: create an impressive credit score, put aside more funds as a down payment, check out new methods of getting funding besides what is available from banks or other financial institutions, involve yourself in investments with toughened entrepreneurs, show how financially sound you are by doing things such as getting enough money into savings over time through frugal living habits or accumulating valuable assets that can be readily converted into cash when required among others like developing several stable sources of income or steadily growing one.

What is wrong with this website is the majority of people on this site have no idea how to evaluate risk.When you have 25 year old hot shots trying to brag about how easy real estate is only to see them go crying to mommy in five years when they are completely underwater and are like "oh me" - ask me how I know.

I reached out to several lenders about financing this project for the cost and renovation, I was either met with they only go up to 6 units, or the building has to  be occupied,  or that I was too in experience and I ...

That can be hot water territory - so while it's a lot of paperwork to complete it's a necessary evil."

It sounded like you were looking for something smaller so I did not mention it.

totally hear you, pre 2021 in knoxville was a totally different ball game. again depending on your goals and strategies, your expectations aren't unrealistic. some deals may require more of an investment to make the numbers work like one of my student rentals that was a full gut project and took nearly a year to complete yet it spits out 15% cash on cash returns annually and i purchased that late 2022. investing in general is a risky endeavor, it's all relative to ones own risk tolerance depending on their position. we try and make calculated risks and look to evaluate multiple exits before pulling the trigger, yet there is still some risk involved. maybe a reit or syndication is the way to go if you want to be in real estate yet don't want to take on the properties yourself. either way i'm happy to make some local connections.