Reducing rent sets a precedent and can attract price-sensitive tenants rather than those prioritizing quality.Negotiating renewal terms can make sense if tied to benefits like lease length or tenant stability, but always ensure it aligns with your long-term goals.

I'm looking to finance the project long term in a way that is helps me create positive cashflow.

A HELOC is certainly an option if you could pay it off rather quickly or else you'll end up paying a whole lot in interest layer one. 

I would never do sub to for the purpose of holding long term rentals  ( at least personally) .

Did you figure in the additional cost of no rent for one of the tenants and how long it will take to evict them?

For example, a property in San Diego may lose $500 per month ($6,000 per year) but gain $60,000 per year in value, making it worthwhile to "lose" money each month in exchange for long-term gains.I recommend you start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free).

Flat Fee MLS Brokers for sellers have been around for a long time, but Flat Fee Broker/Agents for buyers with a cash credit/rebate of the buyer agent commission are quite new and just starting to get some market share.

I am down the street from you in Long Beach.

However if you aren't doing mass scale, we definitely suggest letting the contractor handle material purchasing.As long as the client has all of the materials at the jobsite, place them where they go, they are all the correct type/fit and there are all of the misc parts (adapters/special hardware/etc) needed to do the install.

Hiring a good property manager may cost more upfront, but it’s often the better long-term choice, especially if you want to avoid burnout or costly mistakes.Happy to dive deeper into any of these points if it helps!