I know I need to get a credit card and keep my utilization ratio low, but I wouldn't know much about the process of actually receiving a conventional loan from a bank or any type of loan.

Nobody needs 10 luxury cars and his personal chef drives a bicycle to work.

Due to increased rates i did not refi so i did not get opportunity to see how an appraiser valued the half bathroom but the comps with same bathroom count had crazy valuation for the additional half bathroom.Taking under utilized space like a work area to add a br where the added br does not put you above the normal for the area can add value.Similar if a neighborhood is virtually all 3 br and 4 br properties and you find a 2 BR, it could be a value add to add the bedroom via new construction.  

Alternatively, once you have a full time job (or an employment contract), you should be able to qualify for a loan and utilize a Down Payment Assistance program.

I have also utilized owner financing for longer periods of time, including personal residence and 2 barrier island houses on the coast of Florida.  

Quote from @Elisabeth Lernhardt: Today I found out, that some of the utilities were not in the tenants name!

I recently acquired my first primary residence and am seeing ways I can best utilize the space for real estate investing.

ALTA survey, utility survey, etc.$100k per building, I'd say not usually. 

(To avoid months of probate and thousands if not $10’s of thousands of dollars in costs.)Hawaii is considered a "TOD deed state," meaning that residents can utilize Transfer on Death (TOD) deeds to designate beneficiaries who will inherit their property upon their death, allowing for a potential bypass of probate court proceedings.If she is already in memory care center.

For example, this can be adding square footage, adding an extra unit, or adding a pool in a STR market/luxury market.