Any advice on what setup is easiest and most tax advantaged?

I am seeking an investment minded real estate agent to work with me on determining (with substantiated estimates that I can share with my parents) the most advantageous path forward, which I believe would be 1) rehab and rent, 2) rehab and sell, or 3) sell “as is”.

You can take advantage of the free resources here like the BP podcasts and forums.

It's a big equity gain to not take advantage of, and rather than taking the $250k tax free you could 1031 the whole thing into something else to keep it tax deferred. 

While living in high cost cities has its own advantages, one of the disadvantages is the high investment cost it takes to enter into real estate investing.

If you've lived in your town or city for 5 or 10 or 20 years, you will know things about it I can never know and thus you have a distinct advantage over me when it comes to investing - you know what a good price is, what a bad neighborhood is, what house looks good on paper but is underneath the airport flight path, and so on. 

This is a great place to learn and to connect with people so take advantage of all the great resources.

Doubling down on multifamily, self-storage, and industrial real estate.Raising capital aggressively to get in before the next wave of incentives.Positioning myself to capitalize on tax advantages while everyone else plays catch-up.🔥 #2: Raising Capital Will Be Easier Than EverTrump will likely gut the SEC’s budget—which means less scrutiny on private capital raising.More capital will flow into private equity, syndications, and alternative assets.Fewer restrictions on fundraising, advertising, and deal structuring.Institutional investors will reallocate big money to private markets as the economy shifts.💰 What am I doing?

If they are pre forecloure/foreclosure, probate, or lists that require fast access to the lead to gain an advantage how new is the list and are the leads already on the prominant platforms like Propstream and Propwire?

With 26 years of contracting experience, you already have a huge advantage in the fix-and-flip game.