Primarily for personal use for the family as well as an investment (but the numbers need to work), I am just starting out searching for a property so I am open to all suggestions and comments.

If you are self-employed with no full-time employees you may wish to consider opening a Solo 401k instead of a self-directed IRA as it has several advantages over an IRA LLC such as much higher contribution limits, direct checkbook control (i.e. no need to have the account at a speciality trust company), ability to take a 401k loan, exclusion from unrelated debt finance income tax with respect to investment in real estate acquired with non-recourse financing, etc.Can I contribute to both a Solo 401k and SDIRA?

You could form a month to month lease with a just a days notice to vacate so you could end it as soon as you get your license ready to close, the seller might be open to it.https://www.hostaway.com/blog/rental-arbitrage-joshua-tree/Or, you could continue to list on the seller's Airbnb and you could become a full-access co-host on their account - handle all communication, pricing, etc.

I would be open to a 3-4 unit, but my ideal sized property would be 10-20 units."

BRRRR is what I am looking to do but i am also open to fix/flip.

I’m open to any advice, recommended resources, or lessons learned from your experiences.I believe that growth comes from community and shared knowledge, so I’m here to both learn from you and contribute wherever I can.

My go-to example of this is that we had a garage door opener break in a unit when my wife (girlfriend at the time) had PM service.

You need to connect with people, form trust relationships, learn from others in your area and you'll be surprised how opportunities open up. 

Purchasing a STR in a somewhat sketch area is a terrible idea and as others have mentioned, is going to open you up to potential issues. 

However the thermostat is mounted  to the wall a few feet from the front door in a highly accessed retail store where the door is constantly opened.