We will have no true inspection but I'm close friends with a GC (worked together multiple times with no issues and he has a great rolodex i have access to) and he'd walk the property with me (they're offering a visual inspection only) to see of any major offenses.

I am shopping around for an app that gives me a visualization of how my budget is doing.  

Visually, the differences may not even be very apparent, so cost to rehab homes like this can vary drastically, and it's very difficult to make any blanket assumptions on remediation costs.

Put in some extra effort and finances to ensure it has a really nice visual appeal because that tenant demographic, they expect a Ferrari for a Ford price, and if it looks the part they don't care if it's a Fiat. 

Do you have any tips on how I can visualize (if not see firsthand) the box/shelf option that does not require underpinning before doing to project?

If you like playing with maps and visuals, this is a pretty good one:https://www.richblockspoorblocks.com/

Are you someone who likes to visually be at and look at repair issue, investment or meet a tenant applicant before making a decision or are you comfortable delagating those decisions to others or making decisions with little or no info?

Maybe even some desert friendly plants/cactus to give it visual appeal - things that don't require maintenance perhaps? 

The fact is You can visually spot things in your farm area that will never be picked up by a algorithm , a list source program or an advertisement .

Its bowl-shaped theater boasts the highest-resolution wraparound LED screen, while its exterior showcases 1.2 million programmable hockey puck-sized LEDs, making it a visual marvel.