Of course, you can just pay cash for construction expenses, but this will need more initial investment and you'll have lower return on your cash. 

If the seller is not in a rush, then it will be hard to lower down the price based only on cash vs mortgage.

So if I got preapproved for a loan right now and I don’t buy a property within 4 months, it will expire and I would have lowered my credit score for nothing?

I think it'll always be one of the lower tier midtown studios, with its market being midtown millennials, who can't afford $1,500 per month not including utilities.By the way units in the same bldg. w/ same sq. footage sold for $99k in Jan. 

It would provide a lower mortgage payment increasing your cash flow. 

Part of it could be generally lower cost of doing business in my state. 

The third unit has a long term (4+ years from what I understand) section 8 tenant paying lower than market rate rent with all utilities paid by the owner.

I believe it tends to give me a slightly lower return, because the sponsor is going to be more careful, and if there is a severe downturn will prevent me from taking catastrophic losses.

This usually has lower interest than a HELOC.The conventional loan may suit you just fine, but being able to make a cash offer can give the opportunity of buying at lower price point and avoiding some of the closing costs that come with financing and underwriting.

Among the benefits of this are:1) you can claim the deduction even if you do not itemize your tax deductions2) it can lower your AGI, which may make you eligible to claim additional tax deductions or credits