The good:-large 3 bedroom in an oceanfront building, nice split floor plan, building is only 15 years old, The bad:-it has a side ocean view with a brand new building being built next door-the owner is middle eastern and likes to cook (I've gotten feedback about the smell)-the condo is not furnished well, it's in good condition but the furnishings make it look outdatedI'd appreciate any ideas.

Another option they do is pay for costs on your behalf and you split the proceeds 50/50.

An investor needs to know the following, and then it will make the decision to use hard money a lot easier:Use less of your own cash than a bankClose quickly, and use that as a negotiating toolKeep all of the profit, rather than splitting with a partnerStay in control of your deal, rather than having a partner to answer toBorrow the repair fundsWash, rinse, repeat.Hard money is not the solution to every financing question but as an investor you need to understand the proper uses for hard money and then it becomes a simple analysis of your particular situation.

At 3% how much is would the agent split with the buyers agent?

You have to split the commission with your broker in some capacity but I have a flexible arrangement and get to keep a majority of the commission. 

Or would it be better to be a partner and split the profits?

To make things easier to explain, lets use this example:Purchase price (includes all purchasing expenses) = $150,000Rehab, holding, closing, etc costs = $50,000Total expenses = $200,000Lets say it sells at $250,000 so profit = $50,000I put in $170,000 my partner $30,000We agree to split the profit %in for %out.... so in this case 85/15What I am trying to determine is how does uncle sam account for all the expenses in order to subtract it from the final sales price to get your total profit on which they will charge you capital gains?

So my listing agent, then determines how much to share with the buyers agent.Usually it is a fairly equal split

If your budget is limited you will want to plan in advance if its better to go wide vs deep.Lets say your budget allows for 3000 mailings.WideMailing 1000 postcards three times (maybe every other month over 6 months or 3 months in a row)DeepMailing 500 postcards six times (6 months in a row or every other month over a year).You will want to split test a small batch before you commit to one strategypost card vs letterhand written letter vs typed lettercolor envelop vs whitemessage 1 vs message 2Finally be sure to track everything and your results results.

Hello Boththanks a lot for your replies.My main ask in these kind of deals is how can one assess that paying 10 months rent can assure that the 230 next ones will be paid... nothing... and also, after asking a few questions, I understand that once the note is bought, you're basically on your own... so not really suited for an out of state investor, less alone a foreign investor...The JV deals also seem a bit dodgy to me.. the investor puts 100% of the cash but the benefits are split in exchange for one putting down the cash and the other putting down the work.. seems like the investor has all the risks and the partner only has benefits...Thanks a lot for your answers in any case !