I’m taking notes on all kinds of stuff for my business plan for doing RE investment while minimizing risk as much as possible.

So if you can position your assets into a single family with minimal debt you'll be correction resistant. 

PP was $537k, and needs minimal rehab - painting cabinets, painting walls, installing kitchen vinyl flooring.

Turns out he had 8 credit cards in collections and for minimal amounts of money.

@Aaron Klatt can be correct. 1, 3 bedroom unit can cost you, minimally 30k if it's just updating, but then again there can be more things that need to be done, especially with a 1901 home.

Was your management company doing additional work to ensure there was minimal pet damage to the property?

What would be the best way and a legal way to minimize the tax paid?

Depending on where you are sometimes cartels will do things like this to have a minimal paper trail especially if you are self managing. 

My realtor and the other realtor I consulted both said this is better off as a rental property and I should've done minimal repairs in the place instead of following my mentor's advice and gutting it.

I just completed my first buy and hold, and it was very minimal in rehab, at only about 5k in work.