I bet he was listening to the realtor, TERRIBLE idea (sorry realtors) .Realtors care about one thing, making the sale.

I typically do most of the work myself or hire my handy man who does just about everything and for a great price.I definitely have more experience in the construction industry than in the mortgage one for now, but I would love to chat further if you're willing to share some of the knowledge you have :) (up to this point it has been only my mother and I investing and we have about 6 properties collectively.)Thank you for all of the input!!

Based on what you are saying I think a SFH might be your best bet.

I’m very skilled at flooring and tile from my construction work I did in high school.  

AI / Robotics are pretty certain bets to me.  

Additionally, if you are looking to hold long term, having new construction is going to keep your repairs, maintenance and capex lower for quite a while, typically.  

And the simple task of directing the money to be sent to a second title company would constitute you having constructive receipt of the funds. 

Should you still need assistance, we are a Mortgage Brokerage and have specialty new construction loan options for me.

Is there a lot of construction?  

Although from lenders perspective if you have done handful of successful rehabs, you should already have a pretty good understanding of the process, and can have an easier time to obtain a construction loan.Also Development (building multiple houses at the same time) will require additional skillset vs one house at a time.