I also was so motivated and dumb at one time that I used my stellar credit in the past to fund a brokerage account for "binary options"... upwards of 250k.

I was wondering if any of you all had investing advice or a relevant article for a new investor trying to get down payment funding for his next and first deal, or just advice for a young investor in my situation trying to make it in general!

Hi Stephan,This seems to be a very popular and effective way to fund rehab deals.

My journey to the world of REI began with my personal experience as a renter, HGTV, Dave Ramsey podcasts, a desire to become an agent, and now the Bigger Pockets podcast.I am most enthusiastic about building a portfolio of rental properties for financial freedom.

There are very few (only one that I know) that will delay an appraisal until after funding, but that has it's own criteria that is very atypical for the average borrower.Look at it this way, you want to ensure that the value of EACH property is where the margins make sense for both you and the lender.

After a year or two, if you so desire, you can break off and go with a discount brokerage or start your own company.

Problem with that might be that your GC won't watch the prices on labor which is ridiculously high right now: these mandatory 3 estimates on big jobs might be from couple overpriced big companies and one lower from a friendly company to your GC.You first need to build relationship in the area to know what the prices are generally: labor, materials, location of the property, desired finishes.The last note: good properties go with much higher prices than min bid, because of very competitive market.If you buy a property for $100K, it will be totally different rehab cost, quality of finishes etc than a property for $500.

Maximize rental cash flow \ equity in 10yr-15yrs for college funds for our children2. 

As with all homes, location and price range dictates demand but overall Tomball is a highly desired area with good amenities so a well-priced property will sell.  

Auction.con says they must have 100% of the funding available at time of purchase (if I remember right) how do I know what the exact amount if I am bidding against other people or is there a window after the auction ends?