I started looking in surrounding areas and found that the markets less established or still rebuilding had much higher cap rates.

Hello,I purchased James Dainard’s new book The House Flipping Framework on Audible.

I'm a house hacker too, message me if you want to connect 

I don't think the future will be kind to the investors who bought cheap houses in a big community of other investors. 

If it is a high end housing product you may have to use a designer because they have access to some material/finish suppliers that are otherwise unavailable but that tends to only be for the highest end housing deliveries.

Begin by educating yourself through books like The House Hacking Strategy and podcasts like BiggerPockets, and join online communities for support.

I would look at it in terms of whether you can afford a worst case scenario where you're covering the deductible and have a credit line or cash to front the re-build cost and getting reimbursed from insurance afterwards.

Cash for keys is definitely the best way to get people out in the day when I was very active at court houses steps cash for keys was by far the best way to get folks to move and bad tenants in a state with bad eviction laws to me would be the preferred method. you simply pay them when they are leaving the house not before.. that works fine and you give them more than 1k .. you make it worth their while..

The idea of raising funds from new investors to get them involved in selling lease option houses to tenants does not pass the sniff test.In a nutshell, this is why lease option is so terrible.

FlashlightTape measure/Laser measurePaper/Pen/iPadBinocularsReceptacle testerLevelMarbleDroneRespirator/Face Mask/Eye Protection/GlovesAQI testerWater pressure gaugeThermal cameraEndoscope cameraKnifeI bought over 20 houses in my lifetime and I’ve never taken more than a flashlight.