Higher-end finishes and staging make sense for a flip but aren’t always ideal for a rental.

. - ideally every operator is sound at all aspects of being an operator, but there are operators who are outstanding at the operational side that are a bit lacking on the communication side.  

Ideally, you'd want to avoid the properties that are overpriced and there are many in my humble opinion.I would never trust the ROI calculations from the developers, as they are meant to sell their condos.

Or it's generally not ideal?

However, I have no idea how to choose from the remaining cities, it seems there are a lot of potential options:- Midwest - Michigan (ie: Grand Rapids) seems to have options, also seeing Columbus Ohio and Indianapolis coming up- Reno - I've seen mentioned several times on here- Pittsburgh / Philadelphia / Twin Cities - All mentioned as lower cost to get started, and seem to be experiencing growthI'd ideally like to find a place that has strong potential for future growth, a diversified economy, and I don't mind living in (being close to nature would be a plus). 

That's great that the bank who currently holds the note wants you on 20 year or 15 year amortization, they view you as a captive customer, they don't have to earn your business any more, as far as they are concerned. 

We have a lot of customers at the moment who are strongly considering lifting their homes.

What some ideal way to find investors to fund this deal?

I've reached out to customer service and received little assistance.

I, like you run my firs duplex with the same culture of focusing on customer service.