Many flip investors buy, rehab and sell as a production line to maximize profits.

Generally I find that UK, EU and Asian banks have more products available than US banks.

Any contact with them will most likely be negative and non-productive so don't engage them unless absolutely necessary.

Homeowners are usually discouraged from purchasing their own materials because they prefer the contractor to stand behind the products they install.  

A construction background definitely helps with knowing your "product" as a real estate investor.

Conventional 5% down will have lower overall borrowing cost, and 3% down on conventional is an option too.I'm a loan officer and most of the time for borrowers looking for the least amount of money to get in the door with the lowest monthly payment I propose a single premium mortgage insurance product, and I pay for it through a higher interest rate so there is no monthly PMI or lump sum due from the borrower at closing.  

I was always referred to products such as buildium, simplyfyem etc.

Here's the finished product.

Our best protection comes from having a good team of service providers and vendors that offer good quality services/products at a reasonable price... and adequate cash reserves.

You have to start somewhere and I thought "goals" and "productivity" would be a good place to start. :)