Less capital intensive and you can get your feet wet.

Not all you'll meet are seasoned investors, some are newbies as well and trying to get their feet wet and learn as much on real estate investing.

Trying to cough up similar amount +new adjusted inflated price is very tough. 

If you think the mulch is somehow attracting these pests, maybe because it's wet from the sprinklers or something - perhaps swapping the mulch out for smooth rocks would help.

I've demo'd a bunch and found not a single one that's not either over-priced or saddled with an interface out of MS Word gone wild wet dream. 

There's nothing like getting your feet wet and just diving into it and learning along the way, as long as you don't lose an arm and a leg in the process ;) you will grow so much with this experience and learn to do more due diligence in the future.

Hi All,I'm new to BiggerPockets and just getting my feet wet with real estate investing.

In its current state, the grading will bring water towards the foundation which will lead to a wet crawl space, mold and fungal growth, and possible property damage.

Thinking of trying to LTR it until I have my feet wet, then begin STR during some future turnover. 

All the remediation company does is stop the leak/repair the plumbing, remove any wet materials, dry everything out with big fans and then replace whatever needed to be removed.