Here are few questions that come to mind..What kind of improvements/renovations did you make while you were actually living in the home?

This is my first house hack and never dealt with this situation, and don't want to incur with any other expense from beginning when I could be using this money towards improving the rental unit.

Probably improving, but some tough areas not far away.

@Seth Rouch  If they're looking to improve their score / build credit, two secured credit cards that report to all three bureaus would probably help the most. 

If you want to use delayed financing without 6 months of seasoning, you can sometimes present receipts and payments to contractors to show the improved value of the property above purchase price if you want to cash out refi at 75 LTV before 6 months of seasoning.

In the meantime, I will be working on making improvements for the home.

Discomfort that improves the living condition and property (repairs/maintenance) is different from discomfort that interferes with the peaceful enjoyment of one's living environment (constantly barking dogs).

As well, we utilize the repairs and capitol improvement for write-offs.

The QOF has 30 months to purchase and substantially improve real estate in an opportunity zone. 

We should definitely chat sometime - we have a pretty solid plan but always room for learning and improvement.