Raise rents, reduce expenses (shop insurance, appeal taxes, refinance, etc). 3.

I have already shopped insurance, and the sellers are providing $5k towards prepaids/closing costs. 

To avoid this, it’s best to work with a broker who can shop around and present you with options from multiple lenders without multiple credit pulls.

I have been investing since 2008 and have purchased everything from single families and duplexes, to 250+ unit multifamily, to assisted living, to shopping centers, to industrial and more.

I’d love to house hack and start with a duplex or larger, but I’m just finding is hard to shop around in our market.

Again, you certainly don't have to verify it this way and to some extent that is why most invest with turnkey companies - it makes it easy and is a sort of one-stop-shop but I think your definition of doing your 'homework' may be different than my definition.

And I was just like todays bigger shops I had multiple LOC in the millions that we used to lend to others..

As someone who deals and talks to real Private Lenders (small shops run by a guy who lends his own capital and doesn't use big box), they have a hard and fast business model that produces the rate of return they need to remain profitable and curb the risk on their cash.So the best product for a budding fix and flip investor is the bridge loan which includes acquisition money and construction money. 

So, a risky reclamation project, like many shopping centers bought in potentially gentrifying neighborhoods. 

But I am still shopping before making up my mind.