@Michael Williams  Your best bet is to make it your primary residence so the downpayment could be a low as 3.5%. 

So if a rehab is required, then your best bet is Hard Money or Fix N Flip money.

AZREIA and the Phoenix REIA are probably your best two bets

While you may not want to hire a property manager to manage the property, many PM's offer "catch and release" to help you find a solid tenant, get it leased up and pass it over to you.Usually for their services they may charge 10% of first months rent and maybe some other small fees but they will take on the professional pictures, listing on various platforms, showing to agents/potential tenants, running background and credit checks, and legally drafting all lease paperwork.I have personally done this before and it is definitely worth the money, freeing up my time to work on growing my business.

You bet! 

Now I had just had a newborn at the time and quitting and betting it all on that career path was not something I wanted to gamble on my family's financial future.

Those are basically paid for.Your best bet is recommendations from people who’ve actually used contractors in that area - BP is a great place to start asking.

You will have to discuss w/ title company whether you will use joint tenancy or tenancy in common.Again discuss with a lawyer is your best bet, or a CPA.

If you are set on using an LLC for liability protection then the safest bet is to go with option 4 (this is how my business partners and I have operated).

You may have to adjust how you market it for the STR market if it's a C+ neighborhood.For example people on the STR rental platforms may not consider it for vacationing, but it may make sense for working professional or people looking for longer-stays in Cleveland or who want a more authentic experience of Cleveland.Mike