Or something like 1% of our revenue for each new property (I like rev share to incentivize keeping the owner's happy beyond initial sale, e.g. not a fan of just having idea #1).

In CA I can email title company day of the sherif sale and within two hours I’ll get the clear to close title very or detail title report..... i am finding it very difficult here on the east coast  when I was an active buyer of courthouse steps our title company kept a running spread sheet of every NOD in the 3 county area and updated it daily for us.. then we call customer service morning of and they do a date down for us on the phone..  

When I initially spoke to the seller she stated that they were upside down on the mortgage and had out about $30k into the repairs so far including HVAC, electrical, and plumbing.

No, I haven't taken the step to attend REIA meeting but that's my next move.

They do draws, so break it up into 3 draws. maybe a 5k initial deposit plus 2-3 draws with a 10% holdback until final permit is approved. 

I go up slightly (my initial offer bakes this likelihood in) and if the seller counters again I explain why I can't go any higher (all good reasons - winter's coming and the gas bill will not be low, it'll take at least two months to rehab a unit/units and fill vacancies, etc.). 

Please take this step of action in your out of state investing journey and I promise it will be worth it!

I don't have a lot of money saved up and I currently have poor credit 580-600, but I'm interested and dedicating myself to taking the first steps of financial independence by learning the ins and outs of the real estate industry.

These are the numbers from the mortgage company:Closing Costs: $8,679.11 (half of this is lender points for a lower interest rate)Prepaid/Escrows: $2,211.79Payoff: $130,189 (this is the loan I took out to purchase the home initially before renovating, I put down $23,025 which was 15%)Total funds to Close: $141,079.90Loan amount (75% LTV based on $240,000 appraisal): $180,000Total Due at closing: $38,920.10Help!

Plus the closing costs won't really be double, they'll be cheaper for the cash buy.In my experience it's just as easy to get the refi on an investment property as it is the initial loan.