I have no problem with wholesaling and do it on occasion myself but I hate hearing stories of elderly or clueless people being taken advantage of by some skeezy wholesalers.

If that is one of the only contractors and the lien is considerable that’s another story - but not enough info to tell

I My story is similar to yours I'm just a few years ahead of you.

I'm in Milwaukee and I have heard of a lot of bad stories involving this type of scenario...mostly involving out of state investors. 

Thank you in advance for any advice, stories, or pointers you can share!

I love the story of your artist friend, honestly it never came to mind to incorporate the two together for a marketing hook!

A "professional" tenant can draw out an eviction and and strip anything of value from the home, costing you tens of thousands without batting an eye.There are stories of people living in a home for over a decade without paying a dime.

Having been in the RE market for many years, I've seen and heard some horror stories.

Any reviews or stories dealing with them would be appreciated.  

I ran quick numbers (see below) and it would seem that we'd cash flow better with Section 8, but the horror stories from other investors scare me.