I am a teacher and high school football coach so things have been so crazy, now that football is over I am going to look into this more.

I am staying wondering why there is so little information on tax liens,  i read some books on notes and foreclosures but looks like a big secret here... maybe that's the reason... i need to go into this to find out :)

If the electrician’s quote for replacement is reasonable, it might be worth negotiating with the seller for a concession or price reduction.

It's a dishonest promise.If you are in foreclosure, it sounds like you are either there or headed that way,  what you are encountering is a "foreclosure scheme" they are illegal in most places and for good reason.

Is anyone else aware of reasonable alternatives?

Short term it is difficult to make the numbers work, the cost of new construction and the time it takes to zone-plan-build are usually the main reasons why private investors stay clear.

Now, ca n you learn to properly do creative financing from a mentor/coach/investor - of course.

I'll give you a hint; the powers are very extensive, and for good reason.

Yup, this is exactly the reason that I wouldnt allow delegated correspondent - it's too easy to get greedy and gloss over red flags when you get paid to package and sell risk to your partners instead of bearing it yourself.

The reason being if you show them those reserves and the deal goes bad, they are gonna come after you for that $ and that will put you in a really bad position.