We ended up with a lender that specializes in tiny houses out in Utah, but they ripped my arm and leg off in terms of interest rate and down payment.

It depends on how much capital you have but I recommend either house hacking (3.5% - 5% down) a 2-4 unit property or you'll need 20-25% down for a non-owner occupant purchase which comes with higher rates.

If we crush the rehab I think we can even push closer to 200Cash-Out Refi Amount: $131k (75% LTV of the conservative 175k figure) Profit if done as a flip: 60k. (175k - 115k purchase price & rehab)Cash Invested: 18k (This accounts for $7,500 for down payment to lender, $2,000 in EMD to seller, lender fees, inspection, insurance, title, projected 3 months holding costs at $1000 per month)----------------------------------------------------------------------------If I do it as a flip, from what I understand, I'll be hit with a ridiculous tax bill (24% short term capital gains + 15% self-employment tax), leaving me with roughly $36k after-tax profit. 36 - my 18 invested leaves me with 18k increase to my net worth.

So does this make sense or what would you suggest here put more down like 40% I know everyone says use leverage and keep expanding and scaling but how do you do that when interest rates at 7% and cash flow is clearly negative.

I am always amenable to receiving  a bottle of Screaming Eagle in lu of a mentoring fee like the guru's charge :)  

Many states have homestead style laws that make it difficult to take someone's home during a lawsuit or similar event.However, cash out refinances are typically at a higher interest rate than a normal mortgage.  

If I'm reading that correctly, it means if you back out then there is a fee that is likely coming out of your deposit.

With the interest rates being a little higher right now most of our investors are putting 30-40% down to make it make sense for them.

Those usually come with a higher rate so I would ask Guild about an escrow holdback.

I lived in the area for a bit, and saw the high AirDNA rating for the area.