Current rent is well below market value due to seller having a lot of free and clear properties so any cash was a bonus for him. 

The indicators given were a historically high amount of equity in primary residences, employers using bonuses to reward employees vs. salary increases, and college students choosing STEM degrees vs. liberal arts degrees. 

3- does it make sense to set up the contract as 12 months to repay where the lender will just get the cash flow from the property up to the 12th month, then get some sort of bonus interest if it takes longer?

My realtor just told me of a 4 bdrm townhome that is worth ~375K and renting for $1900 with three applicants on day one, and one of them offered a $3000 signing bonus.

Great lookig project, and a bonus they came right to you! 

I would like to do that on the mostly completed side and rent it as a three bed instead of a 2 bed with bonus room.  

We are mainly focused on cash-flowing properties, with potential market appreciations being just a bonus to us. 

The appreciation would be a bonus. 

REI is a great thing and being in Utah is a bonus because there are a bunch of people to learn from in this area that have been in the game for many years.

Business Analyst, Pharmacy Technician, Bricklayer) get paid by the hour/year, and get no bonuses for their extra success at their role.My suggestion at this point is to find money that can buy rentals.