That is a slow route but if done correctly you don't need your own additional cash for every deal.Two other possible funding sources are a business line of credit (once you've built your business and develop a relationship with a lender), or find a private lender to provide acquisition funds.In sum, I don't see a method of obtaining a conventional mortgage on investment properties in need of rehab.There's a networking group meeting tonight so maybe someone there knows the solution....Best of luck. 

So now that I've called BS, can you provide a link to a reliable source to support that claim?

Even if you find a HML who will lend 70% of ARV and you have a deal where the rehab budget plus purchase prices is also 70% of ARV you would still need about 15% of ARV in cash from another source to do the deal.  

Is there another source of financing that is doable for a beginner?  

The podcasts, blogs and forum are great sources of information.Another less "know" source is individuals personal website located in their signature.

This is a great source.

#1) Getting my feet wet...I was fortunate enough to find BiggerPockets about a year ago, and it has opened my eyes tremendously in that short time.In fact, it’s a constant source of sadness that I didn’t have this resource ten years ago. 

The podcasts, blogs and forum are great sources of information.Another less "know" source is individuals personal website located in their signature.

I'd like to learn about REI and -potentially, possibly, hopefully- find a way to make that my primary source of income.

Hi Erik,I would say that this is worth doing more research on, but there are some things to consider:Zillow is not a good source for comparables.