I have hired a GC in the past and that particular GC took a very long time to finish the project.

The experience of generating consistent cash flow from that rental property opened my eyes to the potential of leveraging real estate as a long-term wealth-building tool.

Although it might not be very much, that will likely be the best loan terms you can find. 

Many syndications will have special days or events for investors to visit the property to see how things are running, see improvements, ask questions, etc.I invested in a syndication last year and have been invited to several events already, plus they give regular updates on improvements and performance.

My wife and I are looking at buying a property that we can live in and fix up (cosmetically) and then either rent it out as a standard SFH or as a short term rental. 

The issue with any of these is you’ll invariably get complaints that ‘the neighbor takes long showers and I don’t want to pay for his go water)... blah blah blah. :)

A single-family home in a great school district with long-term tenants is definitely a good position to be in, especially with the property's proximity to a major city in Colorado's Front Range.

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

Once you go beyond 4 units, then the financing terms are different and will deal with a commercial lender ….  

I think long term I'd prefer to eat the losses on rent while waiting for the chance to sell in the black.