I am in an area that traditionally makes guests bring EVERYTHING I just mentioned in both paragraphs above, including sheets and towels, so they are happy with what I provide.  

Traditional brokerages are also ‘Pyramid’s’, however, the agents are at the bottom!  

You may also explore a DSCR second Mortgage if you do not qualify for traditional financing.

Please note -- although this is separate from property management, IF your PM handles this for you in addition to traditional property management, is the fee you would pay them for this different than if it were a completely independent construction manager/overseer not already associated with the apartment complex?

If your yard is mud you may be able to send a soil sample for testing, probably several points around the yard, and they will tell you do you need to add sand, or loam, or manure, or ground up sea shells, et cetera to your dirt to make it Drain better.

Then, refinance with a traditional mortgage.

Using the traditional A-D Market scale is not going to really touch on the importance of choosing the right market to invest in.

If you are looking to house hack and go the traditional route, it would most likely give you the lowest down payment option.

SilvaAs mentioned refuse to do a land contract, do it as a traditional note and deed of trustIf you do a land contract then you would want to make sure the land contract gets recorded in the county to show your equitable interest

When I have used hard money, I have focused my energy on getting the project done as quickly as possible so it qualified for traditional financing.