Even using a HML, can you really receive funds that quickly?

I would suggest using a hard money lender.First: It seems that time is of the essence in the home owner's case.

@Will Barnard, when estimating an ARV do you analyze the comparable homes using a appraiser worksheet for your particular area similar to the screenshot below?

As far as his experience goes he purchased his first house, years later built his second and now primary residence and has been renting out the first residence since using a property management company to do so.

I use 10 to 15 years for water heater lifespan so $8/month for its cap expense when installed to code using a licensed plumber.Flooring, paint (interior and exterior), appliances, roof, fences/walls, windows, furnace/HVAC, hardscape, siding, foundations, kitchens (cabinets, counters, sinks, etc.) , bathrooms all have lifespans and all add up.

Definitely plan on living there and living it for a while, hoping to increase the value and add some equity to use to get a rental property, and at some point down the line I may end up selling or using as a rental but that's far away from now.

Even with family, I suggest using a third party servicing agent (I'm not a servicing agent so that is not a "plug" I promise). 

Personally, I have 4 rental properties and I just use MS Excel to track expenses and income using a tab for each property. 

After explaining to the rep that the website said to call if I was using a credit card, I was transferred numerous times and eventually sent to a voicemail!

In other words, this would be the main reason for using a broker... maybe you found the wrong  Broker ?