I assumed that shopping around for the best interest rate would be good enough.

You could also look into regional banks or credit unions with experience in real estate development for middle-ground options.If I were you, I’d spend some time shopping around for the best rate/terms.

If I were a decent renter shopping in that neighborhood, I would choose that brick building over yours every time. 

Shop around and find something that works for you.

Let's say you spent a month on the initial preparation: cleaning, painting, shopping for furnishings, assembling IKEA furniture and so on.

I actually had come across your post below in the Events forum and thought to myself it would have been nice to attend that to see first hand a local flip and talk shop about the process.https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1215682-chec...I am happy to hear that someone with your experience in the region feels that Westchester is a market with some potential.

A shopping mecca five times bigger than Lakeline Mall, a 21st century mega-factory, an ever-growing Apple campus and a somewhat secret but sizable spot occupied by Tesla.With a population increase from 2020 to 2023 of 14.5%, Williamson County is clocking more new residents than all other counties in this fast-growing region.

I pay attention to local amenities like shops, parks, and restaurants, because they make the area more appealing to tenants.

If you're only really working your local market, and mostly driving for dollars, and want essentially a 1 stop shop that can do most things pretty well, then Deal Machine should work for you. 

Or can you acquire another business in an adjacent field that increases profitability?