a partner of mine brought the money on a conventional rehab loan from his bank.

I encourage new people to use Hard Money Loans at the beginning.

Maybe I need to look deeper into hard money options.

Have you ever tried combining private money with short-term loans to maximize leverage?

I have lost money, once. 

.: @Derik S.in my opinion - no, brand new investors should not partner.if you need more money, save up more money.hope this helpsIt's an excellent idea, but like Nicholas said, not in the beginning. 

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

Hi @Sharlene Morales, One option is private money or hard money lenders, they can close quickly, sometimes within days.

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

@Josh Ball If you're using your own money, Buildium or AppFolio should suffice.