For instance, in the event that you need to make an offer over the listing price to win the deal, would the financial terms suggested in your Contract to Buy be strong enough to convince the Seller's Agent and Sellers that you will be able to close? 

You might get 12 months to pay it back but you'll have to make sure you have a strong plan to pay it back on time or you'll be paying high interest rates. 

Glad to hear things are going strong!

I am a newer investor and strongly thinking about selling my rental and using the cash proceeds (net ~$170k) to begin BRRRR'ing in the Midwest.

My options are A) accept the stability and lesser headache that comes with taking no action for the time being in exchange for accepting his below-market rent, or B) accept a turnover from a good tenant and pay for a renovation in exchange for a significant rent increase (in the ballpark of +15% right now with a strong upward trend).My inclination is to go with option A and renovate when the tenant chooses to leave or when the disparity between what he pays and what the market rate is gets closer to 25%.

I think I had him put landscape fabric down before he put in the gravel to stop weeds from growing up thru the gravel.

For buyer's that are financing, having a strong pre-approval and a lender that is capable of closing quickly is important too. 

Both are in relatively strong rental markets (Los Angeles, Tucson).

Fortunately my credit was strong enough to weather the storm and I was still able to refinance the BRRRR property.

They have a strong student rental market, affordable prices, and I assume will be within driving distance of where you live.