etc,Can anyone give me any advice on how to get started here , maybe do this as a side business and gradually expand??

Jeff BeardI found out that the bank puts more weight on the appraiser rather than copies of actual leases due to the fact that leases could be forged.  

Over the last year, my fix and flip business has grown gradually and it looks like to grow further I'm kicking around the idea of trying to use some hard money to fund more projects and to get used to working with hard money.

You can't really process your own note to obtain the highest value, you have a vested interest in the note, that's like a runner showing his stop watch to prove he ran a 100 yd dash in 9 seconds, a note buyer or the bank can't really trust that documentation.Not saying you can't document the loan, but it won't carry much weight unless the matter is re-verified again through due diligence.

I don't put a lot of weight in what a real estate agent or current owner says the property *could do* when it comes to cash-flow.

Often times people forget to place enough weight on the holding cost of an SFR property sitting vacant for a period of time.  

But, to do it right, break down actual expenses into fixed and variable costs weighted to the number of units contributions.

The 2% rule and the 50% rule are heavily weighted toward property in flyover states where rents are in the neighborhood of $500... the formulas break when you are talking about higher rent figures.

. :)Commercial valuations are weighted toward the income approach over new construction with depreciation and the market sales approach, but the market sales may win out in some cases as the primary approach in some cases.

There is no valid reason to file a note and a certified copy carries no weight other than evidence that it was made and that is recited in the secuirty agreement and is evidence of the debt created.If any note is lost or destroyed, the holder simply makes an affidavit of lost note and delivers that along with any release required which is filed for record.