I am thinking of purchasing a duplex or triplex here in Montreal with around a 40-50% deposit, with the intention of holding onto it until I achieve 100% equity - then possibly resell and make a bigger play with the capital.

Commercial loans are a fact of life if you play in this space. 

I don’t need the friend or family card to be played. 

Student Rental (4BR/1Ba) - $90,000 List PriceOffer: $80,000 purchase price, 3% seller paid closing costs, 20% conventional financingCash Outlay: $20,000 ($16,000 down payment, $4,000 rehab)Rent: $1,240/mth Mortgage Payment (P&I): $344/mth ($64,000 @ 5% interest, 30 year am)Taxes: $133/mthInsurance: $150/mth Vacancy: $112/mth (9% - playing this conservatively)Maintenance: $75/mthCapEx: $125/mthManagement: $149/mth (~12% rents collected, conservatively assuming full occupancy)Utilities: N/A (covered by tenants)I like this deal for a couple of reasons.

There was also a fair amount of tinkering with the boiler systems to get them filling properly which resulted in a lot of trip charges. 

It is fair to give your contractor the cost for the material up front however, do not pay him the labor costs until he is finished.  

But, if there's enough equity here and the amount you need is fairly small then you might find someone to do it.Credit cards?

Still, nothing from the other guy yet but I think after I get everything done with the electrician, he will find a reason to make me play around with city permit again.I am wondering, can I file a complaint back to the electrician for all the work he had done to my house?

I'm looking for recommendations for an honest, fairly-priced, and communicative general contractor for handling a few significant repairs.

What percentage of that deal is fair?