I’m an engineer that makes a little bit over 100k before taxes and my credit score is 688.

Negotiation is huge in any business, so I was just curious to see if there were any courses. 

Why can't you simply escrow the costs of the road repairs with the local government or provide them a letter of credit to accomplish this? 

I am not pre-approved yet as I still don’t want to get a hard credit pull when I am between renting and buying, but I have contacted a local broker to get a soft pull and a rough idea of what I can afford as far as rates, MIP, and down payment.

You can go to MySmartMove.com for credit, criminal, and eviction background check.

How was it possible for me to buy a property and not have the loan in my name, keep the previous interest, and not have to apply for a loan and hurt my credit?

increasing STR profitability is more of a business thing than an investing thing. lots of str influencers on ig that do really well and have courses. 

Reach out to a variety of lenders, as banks, credit unions, private lenders, etc., all have varying terms.

The above is the correct course of action.

This of course requires the property to be cash flow positive.2 - The  equity accumulated from appreciation (only) must equal the equity you payed for,...the DP.