Talk to an attorney to access your risk. 

HOLD & REFI - The improved cashflow (I have one lender saying he could get me into a DSCR loan at 6.5% which would 3x my cashflow) is enticing, but I'm don't want to risk anything especially having been burned once and would prefer to be on the up and up. 

Happy to chat...being a local GC takes out a lot of the risk of the biggest variable for most investors (unpredictable rehab costs) and also allows you to consider more options than the average investor, with your rehab costs being significantly lower.

There are best practices on certain items that provides a guidelines.Commissions are always negotiable like any other services, you can shop around for the best value for money.All depends on the risks that you are willing to take.

Lower risk all the way around.  

Hey Deirdre,To address your questions:Providing freedom by handling day-to-day operations.Offering peace of mind through proactive maintenance and tenant communication.Reducing risks by staying ahead of legal requirements, tenant screening, and dispute resolution.Enhancing the bottom line by identifying cost-saving opportunities while ensuring tenant satisfaction to reduce turnover.Is the experience still important when the property thrives financially?

If you have someone funding the entire deal, you have ZERO risk in the deal and get 50% of the profits - run with that.Lets look at it another way.

U need to flip the return  75% to the money and 25% to you if have any hope of finding someone to do this that is not friends and family.. 10 to 15% is way to little for the risk of being a gap funder.. if the project does not work gap funder is the one who loses money..

Starting with something near your market that you know the area, can drive by the property and meet people in person will get you more comfortable with the risk of owning property. 

I personally wouldnt - I am sure you could use the equity to get more than $600/month in cash flow however that would possibly require some work and risk on yalls end.