If property is pre 1978 a lead safe credential is an EPA requirement so check if they are listed as a renovator there:http://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/searchrrp_firm.htmYou should insist that a certificate of insurance is issued by their insurance company or agent naming you as the certificate holder.

I've also used them when I bought property from a friend and  when I was the mortgage holder for a house I bought for my son.

I personally haven't gotten into flips yet as I am a buy and holder, but for sure it's on my radar to get into in the future.

When underwriting I usually use 5% of gross rent for cap-ex, vacancies and maintenance as place-holders/quick rule of thumb absent better data.

Real Estate brokers license. and the investor is domiciled in CA.... . other wise what you have can be deemed selling a security.. there is much more to just getting money from folks that blasting a rate of return out on the internet and getting inexperienced note investors to invest in these deals... there are rules of the road.. you may want to check into how this affects you being a CA resident vis a vi this loan..

I understand that a Tax Lien Sale does not award ownership because there is no deed transferred unless homeowner does not pay new Tax Lien Holder after a certain amount of time.

I know the prior owner or lien holders have one year to attempt to redeem the property through the county and courts.

if so are there any benefits for redeeming as the quit claim deed holder before it converts to an actual tax deed or… even after it converts to a tax deed. 

If there is a mortgage on the property then the lien holder will typically cover it so they are not wiped out.

Also, remember that foreign students have much higher and different hoops to go through from domestic - just to get a student visa, they have to show they have been accepted to the university, and full documentation to the US government that their source of funds is at a minimum enough to pay for roundtrip airfare, the out of state fees for a year, plus lodging and food/health insurance and then some.