flipping

i am new to re and interested in flipping properties in tx. i bought my first property on today. i paid a person 2500.00 to locate a property. is this a standard practice in seeking assistance for locating a house?

what would you recommend for a newbie that will be using hard money funding to start in re? how many properties should you acquire before you are over extended?

How can I better be in control of this whole process and feel comfortable that you are not being taken advantage of by more seasoned investors?