Assuming I had the experience, I would only buy a place with structural issues if I had 1) an experienced and trusted structural engineer telling me a clear, and verifiable explanation of the cause(s) of the problem and a viable and affordable solution, 2) trusted and experienced tradespeople who would be implementing the solution (carpenter, mason, etc.) confirming with me that they could fix the issue (with 90% or higher confidence that the issue could be resolved within budget), and 3) confirmation from city inspectors that the issue (and an inability to fix the issue) would not result in condemnation/revocation of occupancy permits. ...and even then, I'd only proceed if I had the cash reserves to ride out a major series of unexpected problems (e.g.; time overruns, budget overruns, unexpected revocation of occupancy permits from the city, etc.) 

Thanks to plenty of smart people here on BiggerPockets, I have learned that it may be possible to offset a portion of this unexpected higher W-2 income with the purchase and "active management" of a STR. 

5 bed 3 bath house ) For unexpected changes, we couldn't afford mortgage, we rented as Short term rental. 

Same thing might happen with the vacancy if you have 2 months for lower end instead of 1 month for better area.I would use higher percentage for repairs and vacancy in lower end area when you compare CF for the 2 properties.Even in higher end area this year I had 2 evictions and one of them with 6 month vacancy and over 12k in damages, bad things can happen in both areas, the important thing is to keep cash reserves so you can get over unexpected expenses.

Good for active investors who enjoy project management and renovations.Cons: Higher risk due to market fluctuations and unexpected renovation costs.

Financial risks, such as unexpected repairs or vacancies, can also impact your cash flow.

What about leaking roofs or accidents you can't predict?

Always, always, always have a reserve because there will always, always, always be unexpected costs.HOW MUCH TO RESERVE?

As someone who has a tendency to spend excessively and live paycheck to paycheck, the lockdown measures implemented during the pandemic unexpectedly helped me stabilize my financial situation.

As indicated we ran into multiple unexpected issues but also it was our first time rehabbing a unit that was old enough to have lathe and plaster (whether built in 1901 or 1920s).Did we make a mistake re-doing the entire plumbing and electrical rather than just what was necessary?