It has been helpful to submit the offer with proof of funding as it seems a lot of deals here fall through on the financing side.I run my analysis based on asking to be sure it works, but have managed to get around 5-7% lower.One exception was a recent buy that, in my opinion, was priced about 50K too low.made list price offer 15 mins after it went live, sight unseen.

Yes, it can be harder to get funding without a traditional W-2 income.

Glad my post led you here @Tanya JonesThey do a good job with the sales pitch and I have no doubt that someone very motivated, who had the funds but needed some real help and direction would definitely benefit from the training they offer. 

We would love to connect with other investors and real estate professionals in Maine with whom we may be able to one day form mutually beneficial relationships.Have a great day!

But your role is simply "fund manager". 

The buyers are reluctant to mortgage the property, so we have been looking at various ways to attract equity to fund the initial down payment.

Brian you take your land basis and add in legal costs, labor costs, material costs,usually 10% contingency fund, other fees, etc. to get your overall cost per sq ft.Then you find out cap rate for sale with a newly minted lease local to your area with 15 years on it.

Even if you could use a credit card as a down payment it's not wise because owning property requires reserve funds (especially in this asset class). 

My mother has offered me to sign on to her HELOC at a 4% rate to fund the repairs.

I was wondering what avenues you’ve taken to fund your initial investment property (preferably buy and hold)?