When running my numbers is it safe to just use the approved HCVP rents for a 4 bedroom in that neighborhood or is that just the upper limit that the rent could be and I should expect to receive less?

I have a tenant ready to sign a lease once the HOA approves him.

I’ve been approved but not quite for the amount I was hoping for and have been struggling with a realtor to find a home.

With STR, you can often turn a dud property into a cash cow.If it's not in an ideal STR location, you could advertise it to a buyer who maybe lacks the credit score to be approved, but wants to own.

Owning 100 units is very much a full time job if you are the manager, and if you have a manager, you are still likely involved on a daily basis to approve spending, review operations, etc.The other thing with goals (and I am all for setting aggressive goals to push yourself against) is until you start somewhere, you have no basis to know if it is reasonable or even something you like.  

I have $150 limit on repairs, meaning if the repair will be over $150 they have to call me for approval.

In most cases, the debtor will file a Motion to Extend the Automatic Stay. 

I always write my own contract or make sure I can modify their existing contract to include things like: when the job should start, how long it will take, what penalty there is for the contract if they go past the deadline, what approvals need to happen if the job is going over budget, how much I need to put down to begin (i don't like doing more than 30%) and what the payment schedule is after that (some larger jobs will have milestones where another 30% is payed when completed), and what will be delivered to me before final payment (final approval, lien wavier etc..)

Or do I hire a contractor to submit blue prints to the county for approval? 

Talk with a lender during pre-approval on their cash out products and criteria.