You could start generating income sooner and use that to fund future projects.

Take advantage of the discount as it looks like it could save you a lot in your painting project!

List price, appraisals, projections and pro forma's are all educated guesses. 

My main questions:Should I hire a general contractor to manage the entire renovation, or would it be better to hire specialized contractors for each part of the project (flooring, paint, HVAC, etc.)?

I have some great starter projects!  

This will allow you to run specific underwriting and projection tools to better assess each option.Remember, owning a property with a pool comes with added expenses, such as heating, emergency and routine maintenance, and higher insurance costs.

Large commercial projects with multi-year triple net leases are much different from a Mom & Pop small strip mall renting spaces to other Mom & Pop corporations.

If you feel comfortable drafting the deed yourself and going to the County Recorder to record, you may be able to do it that way, but be wary of unnecessarily screwing up the chain of title or marking something incorrectly, as often happens with DIY projects in the legal world.

As far as the ADU, I have put that project on the back burner and decided to apply the money towards a new house.

I am planning to buy my first 2-family property in Schenectady and is curious to know how the rental market has been in past 1 or 2 years in Schenectady and what are the projections, and if anyone has a recent experience with a similar purchase.