Obviously these are unprecedented times and hope we all will be stronger as we learn to deal with it.

PM made a couple attempts to collect and then offered to cover the damage because toilet replacements are not that costly and continuing to pursue the damages did not make sense for them.Airbnb is supposed to cover guest damage but if they refuse to pay for guest damage their insurance has reduced value and cannot be relied upon. 

So far, my spidey senses haven't gone off. 

Lastly, the price point is still very cheap here in the sense that you can still find investment deals that hit the 1% rule for 120-180k!

With that in mind, I’m considering purchasing four rental units over the next four years to build a stream of income that could help supplement my retirement by age 68.The challenge I’m facing is that the deals I’ve come across so far don’t make financial sense.

Install low flow water heads, swap the washer/dryer with High Efficiency models, replace the water heater with a tankless version and lock the temperature at a reasonable level, install smart thermostats that will automatically reduce the heat/cool when it senses no one is home, swap all the lights for LEDs, etc. 

I think this will all start making more sense once you start analyzing deals and working with an agent that can provide some insight. 

It's just common sense, but not really scalable as a business of its own IMO.   1.)

Does the rental income and appreciation potential still make sense?

Id keep looking if it was not an approved short sale ( even an approved short sale takes a very very long time and theres no guarantee that you will even close on the house after months of waiting). q1)There are plenty of non traditional lenders that could offer you construction financing if the numbers make sense but it will cost you with points and a higher rate.