NY Market is very competitive, so getting a good deal might be worth the investment of being flexible with your preferences or any upgrades needed on the property; cheap houses are houses that need work or problems that need to be fixed. 

The market was increasing and we were able to find an off-market deal from some friends who held the property for over a year had no interest in fixing it up.

Try connecting with local groups or going to meetups—there’s a lot happening with multifamily and fix-and-flips right now.

Like anything with a low bar for entry you will have unethical people operating in that space but wether you are a wholesaler or a fix n flipper if you are an unethical person that’s says something about your character. 

Thankfully I had negotiated a pre-determined buy-out right where I could buy them out at a fixed IRR at any time. 

A bit about me: I’m currently exploring various investing strategies (fix-and-flip, buy-and-hold, etc.) and looking to expand my knowledge in residential and commercial real estate.

Appliance repair person lined up, warranties don't work fast enough for STRs, you need to pay to have an appliance fixed or replaced right away.

If their performance drops, it requires much documentation, performance reviews, fix it plans, etc. etc. because if we fire them without heavy documentation, now we pay unemployment. 

I'm super handy and can build/fix almost anything.

For the ARV I will look at similar homes in the area that have recently sold that are fixed up and get the average cost per square foot.