They likely will be a bid on the 2 year balloon options, too, in 2025. 

@German Fernandez Love those options!

The condo will limit the rental options to age restrictions. 

On public websites, I see some options to acquire a duplex in central Los Angeles under $550K which would require at least another $50K of work if I do not outsource most of the labor.

Would a home equity loan be a viable option in this situation, especially in regards to eliminating some of the red tape I'm running into with a refinancing an scorp-owned property?

Typically, the investors I work with purchase properties in their personal names and then quit-claim the title into their LLC after the deed has been recorded.Markets like OKC, Memphis, and Little Rock offer some excellent, affordable growth opportunities, and I’d be happy to chat with you to explore these options further.

Gas or electric would be a much better option, safety wise, from a house fire standpoint, CO danger, or danger to children or pets from the open flames. 

Virtually staging it could be a good inexpensive option. 

With a family and kids the best house hack is a house and cottage or duplex option.

Utah County has the best new construction options in the state when it comes to real estate investing.I own properties in Utah, Salt Lake, Wasatch, Sanpete, Millard, and Sevier counties.