Wanting to trade up into larger buildings is effective all things being equal there are definitely economies of scale, and personal preferences too.

I will not be renewing their lease and will need to completly update their unit as well (its a little rough).The Plan: Once my tenants lease expires, I will Airbnb the unit I am currently living in and swap sides to renovate it.

For rehab loans FHA has 203k renovation, and there is the Fannie mae homestyle.  203k is broken down into 203k limited and full 203k. 

We're currently working on 30+ ADU projects in San Francisco, mostly in larger apartment buildings for corporate clients but we are doing a few in single family homes or duplexes too.

You must be able to know what works for the investor and also works for you . so make sure you are factoring enough cushion for negotiations .3# Estimates Be able to access the approximate renovation cost for your investors . complete a spreadsheet that will help you calculate cost .

I am looking to renovate it for 12 months mostly myself and some friends, and then do a cash-out refinance after the seasoning is done to pull my money out and pay back private loan. 

It has been quite the experience renovating, moving and becoming a landlord!

You generally always want the seller out at closing, but they may need the money from the sale to move, so delaying the closing may not help.Yes, you need to set up an agreement/lease but have a much larger hold back from escrow, say an extra $10k or so, above the one month rental.

We did a complete renovation, literally flipping the house (shifting living room to bedroom side of the house and vice-versa. 

Some carriers may allow you a delay of 3 months or so while you renovate.