You don’t need necessarily need to build credit.

They have told me that assuming credit, debt, etc check out fine that I will have enough equity in the land to make the downpayment for the cabin that I want. 

Quote from @Ana Mills: The high quotes for the electricians will be way cheaper than having your handyman do it and it causing damage, causing a fire, or even worse causing a fire later when someone is living there and that person/persons getting hurt because of the work being done by an unlicensed worker doing the work. 

I'd love to have a small line of credit on the property before the end of the year to cover any other repairs or upgrades that will need to go into the property.

From what I've seen (especially in markets like Phoenix and San Antonio), it's often a matter of alignment rather than luck.Make Your Property a No-Brainer: ALE primarily works with displaced families - think floods, fires, or other home damages.

most contracts your 5k is your liquidated damages in most contracts. .. so snag that fire the agent and find another buyer if 13k is that important to you.. for sure not worth hiring an attorney for. 

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?

Perhaps slightly higher from an alternative lender but definitely not from a credit union and expect much higher fees.

Either way its good to buy end of year as most builders and sellers are offering seller credits or builder credits to use towards closing costs or to buy a rate down to help get a lower payment.Even if you wanted to buy a strater home like a 2-4 unit as a primary again you only need to put 5% down. 

From a credit perspective, house hacking also helps you build strong cash flow, which can make it easier to secure financing for future deals.Additionally, if you're targeting high-appreciation markets, you could also look into cash-out refinancing down the line to pull equity and fund additional investments.