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.

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.

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.

The very basics would be getting your furniture and shopping list together, keyless entry like Schlage (with backup lockbox with physical key very close as well), looking into insurance, local taxes for STRs, and moreAlot of ways to save time and make it easier to self manage with a property management software like Hospitable and data research like AirDNA.

We syndicated 75%, plus costs of the purchase price and financed the balance with a traditional loan.We shopped around for weeks to find the perfect loan with the best rates and terms.

Quote from @Steve Tse: Hi BP, What insurance carriers can you recommend in Texas, as I am shopping around to replace my landlords policy that I currently have with Travelers ?

It amazes me how much random transient travel it gets(bowling tournaments, pawn shop remodels, manufacturing employees, traveling photographers, etc).