I also layout that as a landlord, I am responsible for major repairs, including HVAC, mechanical, and plumbing.

As far as house-hacking, the way I have seen this work (I have helped multiple clients with this strategy) is purchasing a duplex or a property that has an existing layout that could be CONVERTED into a primary and JADU. 

Is it a bad layout? 

Fresh landscaping, new paint, new layout, add a bath, a room, a garage, finish the basement, new roof, kitchen etc are just some ways to add 20,30,40K to the value with sometimes minimal investment.

That's the purpose of a lease...to prevent these situations and lay out in advance what occurs when something happens. 

Once you have found your desirable layout, evaluated the days on market for those homes, and learned about the market prices, start doing off-market research on homes similar to what you want to invest in.

This is how you can keep the same system, same home layout, and just make a minor change to how the extra bedroom is filed with the cityAlthough not a pleasant surprise like you mentioned, luckily this is a very minor issue in reality and everything they're telling you is accurate.

Here’s the scoop on the property:Property Details:Built in 2021: Modern and low-maintenance.4 Bedrooms (Convertible to 5): Flexible layout.2 Bathrooms: Great for families or multiple tenants.Turnkey Rental or Primary Home: Ready for investors or as a family home.Location: Just 10 minutes from the University of Riverside.Vacant: Ready to move in right awayMortgage: VA loan @2.5 percent interest rateWhat I’m Looking For:Realtor Recommendations: I need a realtor who knows their stuff with creative financing—seller financing, lease-to-own, etc.

When I am looking to buy properties, I have to walk through personally to not only see the aesthetics but also the systems and layout which are hard to evaluate from pictures.

To do real private lending you'd need at least 500k liquid unless you just lay out all you have in every loan 1 at a time.Then there is Gap funding.