They allow you to include up to 6 months of rent payments in the loan if you are unable to occupy the premises during the renovation.Just to be complete, it's also worth mentioning that both the VA and USDA have renovation loans.

@Steven Hamilton II I want to mention that My husband and I both reside in California, and I manage the property remotely from California via Zoom calls, and also physically visits the property.

Many basement access doors are not 36" wide depending on the age of the property.

@Tayvion Payton - I agree with what most others have mentioned.

As Jonathan mentioned it can be done, but they may require an appraisal of the property. 

Now I previously mentioned i was willing to pay more than my competition.

As my parents age, I am assisting in their property management of their primary residence and would love to connect with other real estate investors in the area.

my condolences on your recent lost.there are a few ways you can do this, as mentioned above you can take a heloc on your primary residence which will give you a second mortgage, first mortgage payment wont be impacted. you can do cash out refinance which will give you one mortgage and payment. it will pay the old mortgage and give you money in your pocket to pay for the rehab.or you can do a renovation refinance which is similar to cash out refinance but we would contractor involved  as part of the refinancing and they are paid through the loan

I’ve heard David Green mention it in a podcast recently.  

Not to mention any damages to the property I will have to suffer as well.