Not because I want to get away with anything shady, but because the seller doesn’t know what needs to happen and I need to be the one who ushers this deal to the closing table.

Again, this has just been my experience, but it seems as if you are 'leaving somethings on the table' by not exploiting the benefits of leveraging your investments. 

Check with your regional banks to see what their construction and stabilized loan terms are and how much cash you'll need to bring to the table 4.

Towns like Slatington, Jim Thorpe, and Palmerton (as you know) offer unique advantage due to their proximity to the center of town, but are commutable and more attractively priced. 

Starting your journey with a BRRRR strategy is ambitious and offers a solid path to building your investment portfolio.From my experience, if you're considering both the PDX metro and Salem areas, each has its unique advantages depending on your investment goals.

Every person and situation can be unique.

People often talk about the resources that you bring to the table as an investor being time, money, and skills.

Buying the note before it goes to the auction would seem like a good way to get the property back for flip or rental, rather than being on the other side of the table as a bidder. 

While STRs might be off the table if your city prohibits them, MTR could potentially produce about 2x long term rents with the right property.

As competition increases you'll have a unique value proposition.