red flags are this.1. too quick to approve you when you have little to no expreince2. they don't ask you for detailed financial information from you.3. rates lower than you see from bigger legit lenders ( too good to be true)4. money up front and just like what happened to you.. need this fee .. oh and now I need that fee and of course you will get funding tomorrow if you pay this fee.. this is all a scam plain and simple. find reputable HML in your market go meet them.. if you have no experience it can be tougher.. if your credit is less than 640 can be tough.. if you have no cash for a down payment.. pretty much impossible..

All of these points are very helpful and, like you mentioned, covered in detail throughout the BP forums and/or podcast.

To paint an accurate picture, here are the details. 

Worked hard, pride of work (sent me photos of his tasks not to inform me of the progress but because he was proud of the job), great attention to detail, could research what he did not know (smart). 

Some lengthy detailed threads here on the topic.

Still--depending on some of these details--$400 should be pretty easy to make up in this market.

Need more details to really give you good recommendations.

If you go on loopnet, with a bit of digging around, you should be able to source quite a few offering memorandums which will have relatively detailed breakdowns of expenses.

@Antoine Martel  Yes I always get a detailed quote (parts + labor) from a contractor.

I have attached his suicide note here which details the Ponzi scheme: "Shaun is using investor money to buy and rehab properties owned by his father Jerry.