The wholetail is a smart play, but you should be cleaning the place thoroughly and doing no repairs and then presenting an honest proforma with rents and expenses estimated so investors have a PDF to look through.

Networking also plays a vital role; connecting with other investors, real estate agents, and industry experts can provide valuable insights and open doors to new opportunities.

So is getting a lease for a 1bed/1bath (or 2bed/1bath) for 12 months, then relisting it for midterm a better play?

I'm under no pressure to do or buy anything so watching the CRE space play out from the sidelines works just fine for me.If that's your definition of a clown, it's time for me to go paint my face! 

interest rates appreciation and rent growth play a huge roll in brrrr and housing hacking 

I'm currently buying properties for myself out of state and hiring property managers - I would plan to do the same here, so my role would not be particularly hard or intense. 

Both GC's work on distressed properties so are hedging playing it safe as I just asked them for budgetary numbers to help determine if I should do this deal or not.I do have 10%+ in cash reserves already.

Its a product we offer, just doesn't get a lot of play, because its a pain to refinance that seller out down the road.

Part of this is a diversification play. 

You can't just start a syndication as a GP with no background in investing so I don't know your play here.