Bank short sales are the banks way of recuperating as much as possible and minimizing losses.

Just as a good litigation attorney can pierce the corporate veil when a LLC principal makes a mistake, a good corporate/asset protection attorney can minimize or eliminate a LLC's vulnerability to piercing the veil. 

Once I know exactly who I am going to pursue, I will do them all at once so that the "hard" credit inquiries they all run show up w/in 14 days of each other to minimize the credit hit I will take.Any advice on lending, both local and general, would be much appreciated!

I wanted to start small (to minimize my risk) and do the BRRR strategy which led me to looking into purchasing my first property in Indiana.  

Electrical would be minimal when the work is done but the rental unit is empty because you're likely talking about a frig plugged in and porch lights on at night (and perhaps a light or two inside on a timer) to give the impression someone lives there for security reasons. 

I moved out here with very minimal belongings into a furnished studio apartment.  

They had a both at last years Noteworthy conference and the pitch there was assistance in determining if a borrower had assets worth pursuing in the collection of deficiency judgments.Another thought, I suspect that @Dave Van Hornmay be able to shed some additional light here as well.

A competent contractor can take a walk around the house and come up with something reasonably accurate very quickly with minimal time spent. 

Matt thanks for bringing to my attention the information about it being "owner occupant" and having to stay for a minimal of a year.

There is simply to much money chasing to few deals in the north east, bidding up the prices.If maximizing your cash flow and minimizing your risk is your objective, I recommend expanding your geographic search criteria.Good Luck,Alan