Initially I planned on refinancing these into a conventional loan after a few years but with interest rates being so loan now and I anticipate they will be high by next year I'm not sure if that will work.

Initially I was not concerned as we were working on the house and having a car parked in front gave the place a "lived" in look implying the house was not vacant. 

With this initiative, is there any incentive whatsoever in buying distressed assets and fixing them, only to not be able to raise rent to market, unless you appeal to some ambiguous exception? 

The township charges an $800 initial rental registration fee, and then every year a $120 renewal fee and a $100 inspection fee.

What happens to the initial loan?

Initially, my goal was just to house hack so I could afford my own home, but as I did more research I discovered the world of real estate investing.

Funding partners with money want to maximize their profits, but they also want their initial investment back as soon as possible (so they can move it to another project).

At this point, a small contract can be initiated for them to do all your due-diligence and background research on the site. 

Any recommendations or anyone out there that enjoys helping new investors get started, even if its just a few initial conversations ?

If it’s not in a non-primary residence STR-friendly city, you can convert the property to a long-term rental and still cash flow if you run your numbers right when initially analyzing the property, but you will have maximized your return during the time you spent living there, helping to set you up for your next deal.If you have any thoughts or questions about STRs, I’d love to hear from you!