So, in sum, house hacking can be when you are able leverage low down payments in order to control an asset (use an FHA loan and rent out the other rooms/units, use the VA loan with no down payment to ultimately turn the property into a rental property, etc.). 

Ultimately, we had concerns about the borrower’s ability to execute in a timely manner and we did not want to delay the outcome an additional six months.

Investigate your choices for financing, such as FHA loans, which sometimes have lower down payments.

It is sometimes appropriate to give the tenant a choice.

I would give them the choice.

You'll lose a few days rent but ultimately a positive review and future recommendations from the nurse may be more valuable than that.

If you are looking for standard finishes/cabinets - amazon/wayfair/HD/lowes has plenty of choices.

While a good real estate agent will have their team they like to deal with, it is ultimately your responsibility to have due diligence performed by someone you trust.

It was pretty hard to find properties where the numbers and landlord laws made sense which is what ultimately led me to investing in Columbus, OH.

As far as the providers go, check out the posters links in this and other SDIRA thread  who are "providers" or "professionals" - they are not allowed to outright promote themselves, but a lot of the ones providing answers are some of the great choices out there in who can help you with this.Good Luck, Dan Dietz