If you can save up for a slightly higher down payment your margin for success will be significantly higher.Also, I strongly agree with the "buy the worst in a great neighborhood, live in the worst unit of the triplex and slowly fix it up yourself."

This concept aims at addressing the challenges of what to do with defunct suburban malls and maybe even empty big-box retail store spaces that are in desirable and affordable neighborhoods.

Start by going to www.narpm.org to search their directory of managers.

To answer your question, I would simply search google or even Bing AI chat and ask "short term rental regulations in ___" fill in the blank with the market you're searching in.

Good neighborhoods, excellent schools, and literally--where does the house I want sit in the actual neighborhood...I say does it look like a $650K house area when I'm done?

Just search and try to find ones that understand sourcing investment properties. 

I'd say just start your search with all 2-4 unit properties, and when you find one where the numbers make sense and it checks your other boxes (somewhere you actually want to live and house hack), then it probably makes sense. 

The last few years we've just been nickel and dime-ing it--  picking up small value add add-ons near existing properties and recently did a "trade-up" 1031 exchange sale/purchase for a newer/better neighborhood property with one less but larger higher rent units.

Based on the rents, I would guess the $1350 house is in a C+ or maybe B- area, and the $950 is in a C- area.What neighborhoods or zip codes are these in?

There are also some great YT vids on the topic, search "BiggerPockets house flipping" or something similar.