I will browse BP and read up on the beginner material. 

Then research on the internet "No down payment how can I buy a house"First you have to figure this part out.  

Therefore, it is the policy of this State that the people may obtain copies of their public records and public information free or at minimal cost unless otherwise specifically provided by law.”The Law states that public records "shall mean all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions."

I learned most by researching and putting in the time.I told her that we could have used that $25K+ she spent on this to buy an actual business license (she only had a county business license), by our materials (direct mail, bandit signs, etc), pay for some online sites for foreclosures and listings, and still had money left over to get started on our first deal.

You pay a professional somebody to advise you, and then choose to ignore that advice and instead look to the nobodies on the internet for free advice?  

One way to stand out from the crowd is to offer a free Home  Seller's Guide on all of your marketing material. 

It is possible to wholesale a short sale and has been done frequently, but the banks are less forgiving now and it is tougher to get material discounts. 

I have a strong suspection your partner is going to be less enthusiastic about your terms, gathered unilaterally via Internet census, than you think

If he needs some large draw up front,  I would buy the materials from Home Depot and work with the contractor to have it delivered to the house.  

To me, minimal means I'm going to clean some carpet, put less than $500 in new/replace material into it and then paint a couple rooms.What you want to do here is turn "minimal" into a number.  1.