Short term, "higher cash flow properties/areas" will be better, but long term "better appreciating properties/areas" will yield a better return (in my experience).

I had the seller pay them off before closing and purchased the homes at the same price as non-solar homes.

When converting common living areas into additional bedrooms, many DSCR lenders might view the property as non-conforming, which could pose challenges.

Or even missing out on securing a better deal, higher price, or greater return but did not do so, often due to a lack of negotiation or oversight.

Their training was less than mediocre and I just returned from a wealth conference and had the Pricelabs CEO look at my listing and confirmed the direction given was not necessary.  

I cant tell you how many messes we have had to untangle from non-real estate-focused accountants.

If you can buy something habitable, and rehab it over time while you live there, that could be a home run of an investment when you look at your return on investment, especially if you house hack.Sure you may leave cash in the deal, but if you buy right, it could still be an extremely profitable and low-barrier to entry way to get into real estate.

What would you do if you got someone to do it, gave the money they gave you to the seller as his/her earnest money, and the closing fell apart but the seller refused to return the money or tied it up in escrow or arbitration? 

Open to out of state investing, non real estate etc?

Fix-and-flip projects can yield quick returns but require experience, while house hacking with FHA or conventional loans is a great way to get started.