I will be lowering the asking price and seeing if that will help in the sale of these properties.

Although the list may seem intensive, I look at it like this: The total cost of all these items can be much lower than the cost to repair a hidden surprise after purchasing a property to flip. 

Charming, smaller coastal towns with a slower pace of life, natural amenities, seclusion and semi-self sustainability are high on the wish list of many high level clients and investors. 

Covering the mortgage isn’t an issue, but I’m considering factors like: Multi-Family: House hacking would help offset costs right away, but I’d likely need to put money into renovations upfront.Single-Family: Easier move-in with no immediate renovations needed, plus potentially lower tenant turnover once I rent it out For those who have been in a similar situation, what did you choose and why?

If you are willing to entertain areas outside Gainesville, you should look into areas like South Fulton, Forest Park ( lots of lower priced inventory) Jonesboro, and College Park to name a few.

Fed can’t raise interest rates to hold inflation down due to Fed debt levels.  

I'm starting out at level 0.

I do believe some are truly altruistic, to a certain level, and truly believe in what they are offering.  

Even competent 3rd party management can only mitigate, not necessarily address many of the issues that arise when owning lower tier properties & population growth alone is not a magic pill. 

Self managed HOAs are usually undercapitalized so you want to take a thorough review of the condition of the community to make sure there isn’t deferred maintenance because you might get hit with a special assessment if the board isn’t setting aside cash for those capital improvements.At face value, taking into consideration my typical financial objectives, I wouldn’t do this deal unless it was a much lower price.