I was with them for 3 years, and during that time got 0 money on my investment, and the communication was not great. 

I differentiate between hard money lenders, and private money lenders.

This deal had everything we love: a full BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) with big value-add potential, beautiful waterfront locations, and the opportunity to create high performing short-term rentals at a reasonable cost.AcquisitionWe acquired all three lakefront properties as a package for a total purchase price of $1,600,000, utilizing hard money financing.

Traditional lenders have their place, but many successful investors use private money as a flexible alternative.Private money lending is essentially relationship-based financing — where individuals or small groups fund deals based on trust, experience, and the property’s potential rather than just credit scores or bank rules.

Did you deposit the reserve money with someone else??

You can do some quick math to figure out it's not making anything right now (in fact it loses money).

What advice would you be looking for on the private money part?  

They never bothered to set up my facebook ads and took that money also, I asked for a refund several times they denied it! 

We saved all the money we could.

@Trevor Brouelette yes househacking is worse cash flow but you put significantly less money down (3-5% vs 25%) and you save a ton of money while living there, plus you gain experience and credibility.