First Time Buyer
My father-in-law owns a number of properties free and clear. We are trying to purchase one of them, but are encountering some problems due to credit score and debt ratio. If he quick claims the property over to us how long must we live in the property before we can put a mortgage on it. The home was appraissed at a little over 200k. He is willing to sell for 150k. Ideally we wanted to have him quick claim the property to us, refi at 180k, pay off credit card debt and pay off the 150k to dad. The lender I'm talking to told me I'd have to live in the property for 1year before we could get the loan, but we can't wait that long. We need to get creative. 
Call lenders and ask them about how much seasoning they require on the title for a refinance.
1 year is common, but there are many that range from no seasoning at all to 6 months or so.
Do a search on google for:
California refinance "no seasoning" You should get a slew of results.