Personally, i recommend you learn as much as possible about REI and the path you want to take prior doing the refi on your house or any other moves. 

SO I will be obtaining two roof inspections prior to buying.

If you want to do inspection with them on, we instruct that you turn them on your own dime, incur full responsibility for any ensuing damage if any, and then re-winterize.

I convinced a prior buyer to leave cash in escrow and that I would sell the contract and them double his investment from the "contract sale".

Anyone who has prior knowledge that can give some advice.

Hey Lee, I am not a student but in my opinion unless you have the extra cash to invest in mentoring programs i say try to learn whatever they teach on your own prior to using your "investment" money for a course. 

Their job is simply to disburse funds, transfer and record deeds according to the instructions of the contract.Also worh nothing that Title companies are regulated by the Department of Insurance, not The Division of Real Estate like Licensed (and unlicensed) Brokers.

They want to see liquid assets that are enough to pay the holding costs during the rehab and if you have any experience or prior successes rehabbing homes.

I do have experience renting out and managing my parents old home; however, I just jumped in it without any prior research or knowledge about rental property investing.

If he expected to get all his cash out, why are you paying all the bills.If both, then both situations needed to be worked out prior to starting.