I have a decent amount of money saved up and have a few controlled(can be paid off instantly) lines of credit to keep improving my credit score.

Smoke smell is a royal PITA to get out of anything, and non-smokers will smell it instantly. 

For instance, if we took the plunge on that property, we'd have to stay there for the long-haul, as it would be much harder to sell than our current home.Additionally, what's the reality of instant equity in such an undervalued property?

He had to get his skills up.I was there for him, monitoring a bunch of his calls and giving him instant feedback throughout the day. 

We recently enabled Instant Booking on VRBO for a seasonal vacation property.

After reading books like the “Millionaire Real Estate Investor” by Gary Keller, and “HOLD”, by Steve Chader, Jennice Doty, Jim & Linda McKissack, the general train of thought seems to be buy the property with no less than a 10% below retail to achieve instant equity.I’ve been experimenting with some scenarios to see what my best offer might be on a deal.

It's free, instant, and very user friendly.

I used to look on MLS and instantly find 5 properties that were worth buying for full asking price.

I would suggest doing the hard work yourself by finding a value add property that you can get some instant equity in and then with a management company putting in place a system to create the cash flow and returns you desire.

It's accessible any time in an instant.