I'm looking for advice from the folks that find these kinds of deals all the time, and how best to proceed.  

What if I don’t fix then they will not pay the deposit to me ?

Please tell me you didn't pay them any money upfront!

Will you put up seasonal decor (Christmas) or pay someone to do it? 

I have a strong work ethic and don't shy away from hard physical labor thanks to my granddad making me carry pack of shingles up on roofs at 6am during my summer when I was 11 years old, my pay was dinner that night lol. 

It offers more flexibility and you're only paying back what you use.Another alternative would be a business line of credit.

Getting a W2 job is always a good option that makes it so you can pay your bills.   

I'm curious to hear from the experienced folks - finding the right property at below-market value for BRRRR seems very exhaustive, wouldn't they be more motivated to sell a property at market value for less work and more profit?

Fast forward to now, and there is an incredible opportunity to buy out old folks like me.

As for renting, going cash flow negative isn't great, and your home isn't likely to appreciate as fast as it would if it was a single family home, so holding with hopes of increasing appreciation may be a verrrry slow play, but if you can afford to hold, having a tenant pay down your mortgage is an additional great benefit to real estate investing.