Most of my funds are in flips though, and small faction in stocks; i prefer some diversity, and cryptocurrency is another option to branch out too.

I actually prefer if they were already gutted (less work and expensive for me). 

At the same time, I prefer to minimize liability, though I’m not a seasoned investor.Is this one of those calculated risks that investors eventually become comfortable with, or should I prioritize limiting liability from the outset?

Simultaneously, if this vacancy is a high percentage of the buildings total SF, I would market the property for sale to an owner-user who may be able to fill the vacancy at preferred rates while gaining investment income off the other tenants.

Since I am new to this space, I would prefer to have as safe of an investment as possible then graduate to the more sophisticated. 

That definitely won't help when it comes to trying to purchase a new property with a conventional investment loan in terms of DTI.But yes, in general with every property you purchase with a conventional loan, it makes it harder to purchase another property with a conventional loan given the DTI restraints UNLESS you exponentially increase your income (preferably W2).

If it's a single member LLC then they prefer to have an officer sign, which would be you and your legal name.

To be honest, all of them work, it just depends.What I have been learning over the years for me is I prefer 2-4 unit properties.

Tools like Roofstock and local property managers can make remote investing manageable.If you prefer to stay local, explore adding an ADU to your property for rental income if zoning allows.

I haven't worked with anyone since we prefer co-hosting but know oodles and oodles of hosts that do it.