The original intention was to do a light cosmetic rehab and rent it out.

All for a sign as long as the property looks occupied...leave shoes near the front door, have exterior lighting, and at least a RING camera. 

Seems like there are a lot of individuals in this boat  -  especially in my sons line of work  - which is lighting and tech for special events and music tours.

I walked all the nearby comps, gave the seller my opion/list of what his property was "missing" (fenced yard, light staging, add a 3 board fence panel and landscaping here...) and advised him to get a surveyor to mark the lot corners...The previous agent had not suggested they get a surveyor to mark the lot corners when he bought the property to flip....there's a chance the house or driveway may encroach the neighboring property.  

Single family or multifamily, flips or rentals, new developments in light areas or infill lots?

There is recessed lighting throughout the unit, I am looking to get about 1,600-1,750 for the unit.

Above are just hypotheticals, but they bring to light the point, which is, evaluating opportunities requires apples to apples comparisons. 

I am only an aspiring investor, but I am a local resident of Niagara Falls, NY and I am hoping I can shed some light on your question about the winters:) I have worked in the tourism industry in the past, my husband still works in tourism.

Caulking a bathtub for a plumber is the easiest job he could charge money for, short of charging to lite a pilot light on a furnace or water heater.  

In light of this, I have been exploring the possibility of pursuing creative finance options, specifically seller finance deals, as a potential means to achieve my goals.