all interesting stories. i bought a house in 2004. bought it from the local tax authority for, seriously, pennies on the ARV. literally $1700 on a house that after rehab, was worth $30k. the previous owner was an old lady. she moved in with her adult son and used this house for her garage sale habit of buying everything she could and storing it. she used this house like it was a personal storage facility. when it went for back taxes, and i bought it, it literally took me 3 months just to clean the place out. when she died, you think her kid would have took the place and made something of it, but he didn't. he continued to live in a rented apartment when he could have rehabbed this place and lived for free. it amazes me how many people will " shoot themselves in the foot" in this life.

The landlord has an obligation to keep the place habitable.  

So I have been in the habit of finding a local handyman near each of my properties and I have them do work for me (mow the yard, clean gutters, etc.) 2 of these guys are under the $600 limit for sure.  4 other guys I have hired have helped me with the two rehabs I have been doing since September.  

If you are taking uncalculated risks then it is simply gambling or betting. 

Plus, as @Dan Pohlman suggests above, a high CLTV (combined loan to value) could also preclude any additional loan and is potentially dangerous.In my view, your second best bet behind getting a cash partner would be to wait and get a conventional HELOC on your home, once you get your credit straightened out.

If anyone has any ideas for us, that would bet early appreciated!

I like the book by Covey, it's a great book for developing those success habits. 

@Jim Viens, I bet getting comps is tough!  

I know it's not great to bet on appreciation.

Just saying, if anyone messes up, you could have a CA finance examiner and a HUD IG type talking to the judge and my bet is placed with the HUD IG!