Give it an airbnb vibe (stage/furnish it with your decor) and think about the last time you stayed in one and how did you treat it?

I am in the very beginning stages (saving / learning a particular market) so if you're interested let me know ! 

You don't really need a structural engineer at this stage, IMHO--I'd go for a good General Contractor and get a price ballparked to negotiate with the seller.  

(BTW, I am planning to buy and hold, and I am primarily focusing on cash flow, not on appreciation at this stage.)Any advice is highly appreciated.

I'm in the planning stage and a little bit of analysis paralysis.

We are on the last stages of our first flip since we moved to Longview, TX.

I am in the early stages of multi-family development (here in CA as well) and felt the cost far outweighed the downside of personal exposure on something larger than 4 units.

Please have the insurance agent provide a ACCORD 25 and a ACCORD 27.My insurance company is saying they have never heard of Accord 25 or 27, I am now at the stage where my lender is asking me to buy new insurance that's twice as expensive.Any idea how to resolve this issue?

I am looking for a fixer upper, although I'm not ready to take on a major project at this stage. 

Not sure what stage of the process you are in (you mentioned closing on the deal soon so that would mean you are at the end) but usually the seller would have negotiated this prior to accepting your offer and for many sellers it can be a deal killer if the buyer is unwilling to provide a Rent Back option for them.