Using quality yet affordable materials can transform a space without excessive costs.I could remember working on a property an investor purchased.

The buyer ended up buying and reconverting to a single family, and doubled his purchase price.Yeah, that's actually a really good and in-the-now viable strategy. 

@Chase AlexanderRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

No fees, no minimums, been very happy with them.Unfortunately the note I own is still paying out to my custodian (did checkbook after note purchase) so the money does sit idle.

I like the strategy of having a job with guaranteed income and taking advantage of owner occupied financing to purchase a house hack, staying connected with the REI community in the area, and scaling up from there.

For an auction.com purchase in Washington you have 2 options. 

Keep in mind, it would be in your best interest to go for as high as 4 units on each purchase to maximize your door count. 

This is a story from my past that provides a perfect example as to why investing in tax liens at auction is so dangerous for any but the most experienced and knowledgable investors20 years ago I purchased a SFR as a long term rental investment that sat on a double lot.  

Based on the information you've provided it seems like you might be targeting the wrong type of deal flow for your budget/risk-tolerance/area.

The best I've seen for STRs is 80LTV on purchase and 75LTV on cash outs.