I have found that they worked really well when it comes to getting better tenants and better rents, and having less hassle, less headaches, and then getting a higher sales price; without paying closing costs or realtor fees.

Aloha Joshua,  I deal with clouded/messy titles often and it's not my first choice as its froth with a lot of time, costs and risks. 

For those who’ve used it, what strategies or sources have worked best for you when covering the difference between your loan and the total project cost?

You end up with Hotel Quality sheets / soaps for the cost of Amazon or even less.

Line Item Fee Collected Rents 10% of All Collected Rents New Tenant Search & Onboarding $500 Business Hour Service Calls $80/hour + Materials Cost + Tax After Hour Service Calls $110/hour + Materials Cost + Tax HVAC Cleaning & InspectionGutter CleaningSpring/Fall Exterior CleanupSeasonal Mowing & Weed TrimmingSeasonal Snow PlowingGeneral Contractor Vendor Cost + 10% Oversight Fee

Renovations can cost more than you expect, add 10% to your overall number.

"the typical home warranty costs $450 annually, and only 25% of premiums are paid to homeowners.

So for the first property which will cost over $1 mil to construct, there will be stacked loans, essentially $280K will come from loan assistance program,( the name is not correct but the same idea).

Looking for something with low acquisition cost, and meets or exceeds the 1% rule.  

To offset costs, I’m planning to buy a duplex and pursue a house-hacking strategy:1.Rent out one unit as a long-term rental.2.Live in the other unit and rent out the bedrooms as short-term rentals (STRs) through a furnished rental approach.Before diving in, I have a couple of questions:1.Can I use a property for both short-term and long-term rentals?