Townhomes are a viable option, as sing family houses in the best areas can easily get in the mid 400s and up real quick.I focus on North Raleigh, Brier Creek, Bethesda (durham county) to name a few spots.

For borrowers with low or mid-range credit scores, what are some strategies for securing hard money loans?

As you have really good credit, you would be getting close to floor rates (mid 6s).

We do a lot of Mid Term Rentals in our metro properties and they do much better as MTRs. 

This is for mid-range quality and minimal assembly items- what you save in purchase price you will lose in replacement and assembly costs!

I'm assuming that I could probably do an STR in Lakeland Florida, but don't think because of the location that I'd get good revenue.Who can give me some insight as to whether doing something like this or mid term for nurses has been beneficial for a 5 bedroom 3 bath house.

@Anibal Mijangos, there's a good friend of mine down in the SoCal area (Calvin Tran) that doesn't do arbitrage for STR specifically, but does it for corporate / mid-term rentals instead.

In addition, we have a annual mid-point inspection to ensure that small issues do not turn into big issues especially with tenants who stay in the property for several years.

YUP  self serving  underhanded subliminal marketing attempt  dove tailing off he new crop of U tubers trying to convince investors that section 8 is a money train and the tenants are just so happy to have the voucher there is NOTHING they would ever do to lose it etc etc.In Jackson specifically they can trash the house and sec 8 WILL not take their voucher they just go on to the next landlord that just rehabbed a house and wants section 8 rent because market rate tenants in that city are some of the absolute worse payers in all the 25  markets I have worked over the last 22 years in the mid west and rust belt states and cities. 

There is no better way to ensure you purchase a home that the future rents can afford than buying a home with a loan that was originated in early 2020 - mid 2022!