We are looking for a way to pull as much cash out of the property as possible and need some advice.

So, you can discuss things like a fixed upfront fee, tying your pay to a successful deal, or sharing the commission with another realtor.

I do hear more issues about Oakland landlords/investors and a few horror stories of a non-paying tenant, squatting for months and it takes thousands in legal fees to get them out.

Making money on a hypothetical spread left the mall two years ago.Be careful paying for a $2000 appraisal on a commercial endeavor or any large upfront fee.

California charges a minimum $800 / year LLC fee. 

As far as your credit goes, you can apply to several lenders and have them pull your credit, the bureaus look at that as comparison shopping for mortgage rates and they will hit your credit, but for much shorter term.

Without getting specific into one program over another provided by the so called 'gurus', I have noticed one thing in common: Their presentations are always prepared to pull your legs with false or inaccurate facts about their products.

Still, if the cash flow is very little, or even a bit negative, but you can hold on to the property for 4 or 5 years, you will gain an average 20% net worth on said property that belongs to you and only you.There is a saying I love in the stock market, but I feel it also applies to the real estate market:"Time in the market always beats timing the market"This is to say that if you hesitate and don't pull the trigger for fear of having "missed the boat" you could be missing the boat that is passing in front of you.So, to summarize, I would look at other markets, but I implore you to look for a good realtor who can provide more than just the properties.

In our early days I remember we had a wholesaler send us fake comps with edited numbers thinking we did not have MLS access-- all in hopes of pushing up the deal's ARV so that they could coax us into getting the deal closed and receive a $30k fee in time for Christmas.

Additionally not every deal will allow you to pull all of your capital out, you may need to flip some of the properties to fund your new purchases.