I feel like the seller would wait and I could just buy it in cash since I do plan to refinance it anyway and pull out the equity once I’ve done some repairs/upgrades.

It is a complimentary strategy to pull some of your money back out and hedge your bet.

Is it hard to pull that type of cash out of a property?

Some of them even walk off the job, even after they pull permits and are technically responsible for the work.  

Quote from @Christina Hall: Let me guess your solution is SEO 😆 I’ve spent 20 years in sales/marketing and I have to say it’s never a single strategy We are also buying up expensive keywords on google I hear this constantly when I try to help peopleI do ONE single strategy because that ONE strategy is the one that actually works.Will you do 15 different strategies just because there is some unspoken rule that says "Don't do just one strategy?". 

For my rehabs, I pull owner builder permits where needed even for work done by licensed contractors.My jurisdiction does not require permits for cabinets, counters, or flooring replacement.  

I would be very careful in working with a 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary that provides ("sells"0 replacement property solutions as part of their services. 

There's a few different ways to focus on a lower rate such as with house hacking and making the investment your primary residence, requesting a significant closing credit from the sellers for standard rate buy-downs (which I've had great success with recently), or utilizing lenders who offer short term rate lowering solutions such as 2-1 rate buy downs (again, ideally paid for by the sellers).

Pull permits always . 

If you can make me believe your vision makes $, and that your the guy to pull it off, I'm handing you $ in proportion to what my reward can be for it, and how certain I believe you can deliver on it.