I’ve spoken with one credit union but could definitely pursue that option more vigorously.

It is a one two family and a single in back.

A question we faced was the exact same: Should we buy used appliances or go for new ones with warranties? 

One or the other I'd say....And IMHO, electric fireplaces look cheap, even the expensive ones.....

Or should I find a property first and hope that no one will get that property under contract right away?

One of our Co-founders is an excel wizard.

Many of our borrowers/clients have one LLC that owns the building and another than own the operating business.

I was definitely on the fence about this one for a little while before making the purchase, but there were a number of attractive features that ultimately led me to move forward with the purchase.

It's one of the hottest markets in the US right now with so much population growth, job growth, and companies moving/developing here (26B Intel headquarters being built here, 68K+ enrollment in Ohio State University, Amazon, FB, Google, Honda, Nationwide, Anduril, etc.).

In my case, I have residential rentals in one LLC, commercial properties in another, self-storage in a third, and my real estate company operates in a fourth.