My husband did it the non-traditional way too!

3)  Do you wait a year to renovate the property (considering question #1)4)  If you do wait a year and you use hard money to purchase the house, do you take out a traditional rehab loan at the end of year one or continue the hard money loan till the end of rehab (16-18 months total)?

She is really motivated to sell but is connected with a realtor already and the numbers don't work out for me in a buy and hold scenario so I cant offer to buy the house thru traditional channels.

Provided lending practices haven't overly loosened up, which I'm currently purchasing a home with a traditional mortgage and can tell you for certain this bank has not, then I see the majority of the market continuing to rise at a reasonable rate. 

I have a local California lender who remains a good friend and has been helpful with getting me pre-qualified for traditional lending. 

The high-quality labor force attracts new business, which upends the traditional relationship between business and population growth.Markets like Austin and Dallas in Texas, Atlanta, and Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina are as much lifestyle destinations as employment centers.

You need to compare asking price with sold comps!

@Phillip Tamez, I determine the mid-range rent utilizing comparable rentals in the area.  

My question is  should I go for  a traditional bank loan,  this new concept of hard money?

It'll be non-traditional financing though.