I’m fairly new to real estate I’ve been listening the the podcast and reading books on investing.

Well to be fair, 20% out-of-state could easily still be less than 3.5% in CA.

It's fairly simple....ask the wholesaler to show you the purchase contract they have with the seller so you can review the terms/conditions that they agreed to in it. 

The new fourplex will put us at 5 landlord policies, and many insurance companies are telling me they will not ensure over 4.  

For those who do package deals how to you decide if asking price is fair?

They need to be careful that they aren't opening themselves up for Fair Housing violations... are they really capable of taking on this responsibility?

If I do come across a private lender, what is a fair fee to pay them for using their money for 6 months until I refi into a conventional loan and pay them off?  

It's not in Landlord Tenant Law it's Federal Fair Housing Law.

So it's just spelling out what the co-op commission is so we're all in the open and the seller understands that I am compensating the other agent fairly and not harming their chances at a solid offer by going cheap on the co-op fee. 

Couple things Im looking into:1) I am still discussing with my CPA but am looking at traceability options to ensure my HELOC interest is deductible under the new Tax Law 2) If I max my HELOC how is my credit score impacted --> how high will my interest become as I look to obtain refinance on a conventional mortage (delayed or 6month full refi)Overall, I think pull out what you need.