Fast forward a couple of months, and I close on the sale for a nifty $10K (almost) profit.Moral of the story: Sleep is for suckers! 

Even is the store is not the one they shop at >80% will go to gift card store for 'free' food.class C's $25 - $50 gift cards to local restaurants / fast food place.class D's $25 to local convenient store.

YOu can grab one on line.. for free.Unsecured promissory notes are fine for these type of collareral arrangemens unless the lender specifically wants to lien some of your real estate.Your interest rate is low enough that usary is not an issue in any state I know.Be aware though unsecured promissory note as the borrower there is no defense you don't pay they get a judgment very fast and the only way you get out of it is to BKIf you use property as collateral and no Personal gurantee then if you don't pay the lender can foreclose on the property.If your in a Title and escrow state simply go to any title company and open and order tell them your doing a loan.. they will do the paper work.. some wont produce the note. you can do that again on line Notes are super simple no need for attornies for those if you have a modicum of business knowledge..

Where can I get reputable and fast financing in Georgia?  

Would you suggest to slim my expenses down and pay off the debt as fast as i can first, and then start investing in real estate?

It's obvious all of you should use pex instead of copper when you can and when you can't you just need to get those walls closed up as fast as possible and find ways to prevent people from getting inside.

The problem is, I have NO IDEA how long things SHOULD take (i.e. is he fast or slow and is there anything I can do about it to help him without offending him if he's slow).

Get it fixed up and rented as fast as you can and move on.

There are pros and cons to both, but it really will depend on your goals and how fast you want to get there.

We are in Memphis and now making some inquiries into Jackson, but have stayed away from the Nashville area because of fast moving price points.