The big one to read up on is the NYS Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. 

The other thing to consider is the age and if you add a second floor will the entire structure need to be brought up to code for hurricane and wind.I live in a neighborhood where the homes are older (not in florida) and the foundations are hollow core CMU and adding a second floor would not be feasible due to soil bearing.

Are there other more creative ways to start cash flowing in year one Be careful because federal mortgage fraud and going to jail is a real thing.

The only reason I knew they had scheduled their closing date is because I texted that several workers would be out to give me estimates for yard work. 

I am a rookie real estate investor eager to get into my first deal this year.

I had a call this morning from a Homicide detective as suspected murder was holed up in one of our houses..

However, it’s important to ensure the area is safe. in those areas I would recommend checking local crime statistics on SpotCrime. you can use this link for an example,to get detailed information: https://spotcrime.com/map?

It's just a question if they are willing to share them.Sure I could build these out, but I am much better at buying houses than I am setting up CRMs and am hoping someone out there would be up to helping another investor out. 

Go to small local/regional banks NOT national ones.

He would show up, realize he didn't like the view of the water tower half a block away and back out.- Getting under contract and then reducing the price because of findings is common, but major reductions are likely to tick off the seller unless you have strong justification.