I go with lighter colors.

Go with something with a warm tone to it, darker or lighter, but more of a true wood color than the aged grey wood look.Just my 2c.

Even good vinyl siding starts to look rough 10-15 years in, and you can probably get 10 years out of a good paint job, especially if you use a lighter color (white or similar) for at least half the price of new siding. 

I would look to target lighter rehabs in the range of 20-40k.  

If it's not a one-off homeowner selling their one little house once in their lifetime, tread lighter on the heavy-handed negotiation tactics. 

It is best working with a modular factory that builds using SIP Panels as they are more energy efficient and lighter weight with a much stronger quality, the SIP Panels can be worked with using OSB or Phenolic Skins. 

As a newbie, I'm going to try to stick to doing a lighter rehab only, and pass this one on to a more experienced investor in my community.

The total profit was actually 30k higher.Lesson1: do faster and lighter rehabs vs longer bigger projects if you have capital limitations.

Much lighter than actually hauling a bunch of books over there.

Leverage varies by market - typically 75%-80%, rates are generally in line with banks, and the property scrutiny and underwriting time is lighter than FHA.Downside is the prepayment penalties are generally pretty onerous with defeasance/yield maintenance and there are hard net worth and liquidity requirements tied to the prospective debt service and loan amount.FHA can be used under the 223f program, which has a 35 year fixed rate fully amortizing term with rates generally lower than banks or Fannie/Freddie, but the underwriting timeline is longer and the soft costs are higher during underwriting, which means it's only economical above ~$2mm.Also of note, FHA will require much higher scrutiny of the property (because the loan term is so long), so projects in disrepair or with deferred maintenance may be in for a surprise when the PCNA comes back.Both are better than bank loans unless you can get a local lender to do a longer fixed term - some aggressive lenders will do so.