I've saved a ton of money, but my summer was consumed by the house and it's taken twice as long as I originally planned for the reno.

I think both can provide control from the top down but I was thinking more that a vertical provides specific services where horizontal is a multi service platform.

Try to pay off consumer debt first, and then work on reserves for an emergency.

The 'guru' type atmospheres are usually just cash generating platforms for said gurus; so I would definitely caution against throwing out large sums of money for something like that. 

Bill Yes Bill.A consumer loan requires 120 days past due prior to initiating any Notice of Default suggesting a remedy of foreclosure.  

I'd suggest checking out Patch of Land as they have a innovative crowd funding platform and they evaluate each deal to ensure they believe it will be successful (another set of checks and balances especially for a new flipper).  

So my current goal is to eliminate all my consumer debt (auto, student loan, credit cards, etc)

The North Carolina Consumer Finance Act is one that applies to loans <$15K (you could read as 'rehab' loan), and under the jurisdiction of the NC Commissioner of Banks.

Not for a consumer. 

On your first several notes I would also strongly advise that YOU NOT contact the borrower directly as it is far too easy to violate rules established by Dodd-Frank and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.