I think it's less of an issue of which is better and more of what are you comfortable with?

Would you all feel comfortable or is it safe to have a mortgage on the property if the value is just the land at the beginning of the build?

I would highly recommend hiring a designer for that one, even if it's just a virtual option.

Thanks.Go to meetups, as many as possible and network with other investors so you get comfortable and make some good connections.

this is somewhat true. depending on the size of the "skeleton". what we found from being in renovations for 8 years and new construction for the last 5 years nationally is that what actually makes the money is design, entitlement, land acquisition, etc. you can pull every lever in new construction. it's more active and you have all the control. if you don't make money it's your own fault. talk to any lender who looks at deals they would agree. banks prefer ground up at the regional level who see deals than existing renovations.

Quote from @Drew Sygit: @Yanting Wang many investors are buying, "build to rent" properties.They are all being told that in buying a new construction property, they shouldn't have maintenance issues for 5-10 years, which will increase their cashflow/profit.Well, tenants have a way of breaking things, not taking care of problems and letting them become maintenance issues, and this is on top of the fact that most new construction properties require several warranty repairs by the builder in the first 12 months.As others have pointed out, you must live in the property for the first 12 months for an FHA mortgage or take your chances with committing mortgage fraud. do a new construction multifamily don't buy a single family for BTR the numbers are garbage. density is the only win for economies of scale, micro units as well. small, well designed multiple dwelling properties are superior. 

Tell them that you'd like to call through their oldest, worst leads to get comfortable talking with people - can I help with appointment setting?

Get out of your comfort zone.

Get out of your comfort zone.

The data help with the science part, but the art comes from your design vision and connections with people in market who can give you information about the areas where you are interested in investing.I have used a lot of tools, and right now I am using AirDNA and BNBCalc to get different data driven views on properties.