I've been building custom kitchen cabinets and furniture and I really enjoy it.

I don't know any designers, and while I know a photographer who would travel up there, the agent I have in mind probably has one that he works with.Regarding staging, if you do the rehab, then I would say yes, a little staging will help people gauge the volume of each room and how furniture can be placed.  

After you patch up an apartment unit (or if you have a pretty one currently lived in by a neat tenant), stage it with nice looking basic furniture, post it on CL yourself and see what response you get.

is that your HVAC or washing machine or is it furniture, or the lawn mower?

all of my furniture and belongings will be in the house. 

The conservative rule of thumb is to use what the hospitality industry uses for building your Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) reserve vs.

I brought furniture in for staging, hung artwork and really tried to create a high quality look.

Also, installment loans like buying furniture on credit really don't help much, as they are not revolving accounts. 

If you don't have a property manager that understands the landlord/tenancy laws, you'll want to familiarize yourself with them, for instance, if they leave their furniture and belongings, there are laws that dictate what you can do or not do.

Idea 2: Create company #2 that is a furniture rental company (like Cort).