If you want to offer your services in exchange for training or the opportunity to participate in a project you'll want to post in the Marketplace.

Using a personal loan could serve as a good tool to bridge into your first project.

I could take on this project (actually sounds like a fun one), but I have no idea how you would estimate the property values and rent sufficiently for the analysis to be meaningful. 

With separate entities that JV together on projects of mutual interest, if you like a property that your partners don't, you can always buy it yourself under your entity or with just one of your partners that also had interest.

Make sure you can get someone to oversee the project if you can't.  

I estimate the project will cost $75,000-$100,000.  

I think she’s also wanting me to look at the potential rent increases (they are all below market), but everything I read says to only buy on actuals, never on possible projected numbers!

I am projecting about 9-10% cash on cash return, plus the additional 4% that mortgage paydown will give me. 

so before you look away let me just say I'm not giving up, I'm just frustrated and looking for some advice from those that have been there.I've done all the work and setup for starting my first flip project. 

This was a really rewarding project.