Not a lot to add here, just the simple advice to make it as easy as possible to pay rent. 

Start simple or go all in on a multifamily if you have the capital to support potential losses.

The reason so many people struggle with wholesaling is simple: they don’t understand lead generation.Take a moment to think about your approach.

The most popular STR listings in my area have excellent interior design.  

Be where their eyes are searching, but it's not as simple as asking here. 

Essentially, if you have the cash/equity, and buying 1/2 per year with a long term vision, I would keep it simple.

It took new construction costs from $800-2500 down to $325 / SF and instead of 2 years it can be done in 8-12 months (design, permits, fabrication, shipping, and erection) depending on how much homeowners customized the standard plans. 

So I just went with a clean design, laundry in the unit, HVAC, and new appliances sealed the deal IMO

The amount of equity I call pull is less than the cash I have but not significantly less.When doing this analysis it struck me that it may not be worth using a HELOC for the simple fact that the interest rate is ~9%* while the funds in my high yield account are only yielding ~5%*.

They are designed to protect the seller (I have disclosed this), but not to substitute an inspection by the buyer.Sellers can only disclose what they have knowledge of.