Dwight,We have been looking for hard-money in CA, and have not found anyone willing to do the types of loans that make sense - even at 70% LTV with our skin in the game.If you come across anything that makes sense, please let me know?

I have found that the vast majority of PMs in the area are skinning their homeowner clients every chance they get. 

However, what sets off alarm bells is that, no only does the syndicator have very little skin in the game, he is paid first.  

This is where thick skin (which I had to learn over the 8 months) and hold money even through the begging and the story telling.

One way is to have the borrower bring some funds to the table so you have some skin in the game.

You also need to get rid of that GM as they can't carry any water and has no skin in the game.You can fry that GM, move him out and look to others who have the ability to perform to move in, a PM should not be in the mix of ownership without the ability to carry off their share.You and the others may end up buying, but you need to see your attorney IMO. :)

That's my job in life, to make deals work.If I see that you have a decent deal, you have skin to put in, your credit isn't total trash, that you understand what needs to be done, you have a simple concept of what to do, you come across as truthful and there is an ability to pay, well, hell, you got the money!

You either need to find them yourself or work with a genuine wholesaler who finds great deals.If your contractor partner has no skin in the game they don't have much incentive to get things done and do them the right way.As enticing as this may sound, the downside is much greater than the upside.I tried partnering with a contractor on a house early on.  

- how much money do I need to put in the deal as down payment or skin in the game?

I mean, come on. you need to put some skin in the game and realize each and every flip isn't going to net you 50k...2.