I have a hard money lender at 10%, who will amortize at 30 years, with 5 year balloon so a potential loan of $200k is in the works.

Then it could potentially be legal depending on how it's worded.

It's helpful to other potential buyers. 

Possibly but the problems I’m having stem from having too many cooks in the kitchen already so to speak, and failures of what is supposed to be seamless transitions among different payment systems, so I’d be worried that adding another layer of complication, more entities and more software could lead to more potential failure points.

You’re absolutely right about the market potentially shifting, and this is where those who are ready to act and think creatively win big.

They are far more common now and harder to find models without but:1) these add cost to the purchase price2) they don't bring a lot of value3) they can leak or detach and damage the propertyI own around 50 doors and I cap off the line at the wall or in the basement with a valve and a cap so the potential for leaks is 0.00001% :-) 

Purchasing a STR in a somewhat sketch area is a terrible idea and as others have mentioned, is going to open you up to potential issues. 

Asa result, we are seeking alternative methods for acquiring off-marketproperties.While we havedeveloped a robust system for identifying and pre-qualifying potential landparcels, one of the major hurdles we face is reaching the property owners.

Cities like these offer untapped potential without the intense competition found in larger metros.3.

Post on local Facebook pages for contractor referrals, go to local REIAs, and ask your potential agents and PMs (even if not using a PM at first...you may at some point).There is only so much that service providers can do and many of them are far from "experts"; so, be prepared to be your own expert at being willing to figure stuff out as you move forward.