I feel for you. 

I would not bring in a private money lender on a house hack, doesn't make sense.

Im not sure, just feeling lost. 

Let no one bring you down financially.

Because they will get defensive if they feel you are pressuring them.

@Andrew Foster some decent advice here, but also some feedback from those who really don't have enough info to support their perspective.Many DIY investors price repairs on materials only and forget about labor as they do their own work.We're a PMC in Metro Detroit, but here's how our process would work:1) MoveOut Video & Pics used to create Scope Of Work (SOW)2) SOW broken down into Priority Categories:- Health & Safety- Government Required (municipality/S8 inspection requirements)- Property Preservation- Marketing Impact / Tenant Retention- Miscellaneous3) Bids obtained if we feel work will exceed Owner Approval Threshold4) Bid sent & discussed with owner to, "redline to their budget"5) Work begins once owner approves & funds6) Completion video/pics providedOf course, while this is going on our Marketing Dept would be doing a rental analysis & ad, and discussing with owner.

If they're a private lender, or a small HML with loose underwriting guidelines, their borrowers will definitely feel it. 

They want to know you won’t blow the rehab budget, stall out, or panic when something goes sideways.Once I had one project under my belt with clean documentation, lenders stopped questioning my ARVs and started competing for my business.A few lessons from that first deal:• Show up with a real scope of work• Know your comps better than the lender• Bring a contractor who’s licensed, insured, and organized• Present the numbers like a business, not a hopeAfter that, funding becomes a systems game instead of a confidence test.

I haven't bought my first property yet (I'll start shopping in February) but today I started talking to my realtors about it to feel out which ones I want to include in my venture. 

A developer partner would be expected to bring:- Predevelopment and construction capital- Lender relationships and guarantees- Entitlement / permitting / SB 79 experience- Day-to-day control of the business planQuestions for developers / capital folks who’ve done something similar:1.