TL;DR - is a/c alternatives to window units a strong selling point to potential tenants?

In fact, it could be argued that it is significantly less risky than the alternative of purchasing a property and leaving your capital in it. 

Alternatively, there are some investors on here that are willing to help - connect with them or message them.

If you are a beginner and live in an expensive market and house hacking does not work for you for any reason (i.e. don't like having roommates etc.)then live-in flip can be a great alternative in an expensive market.

I looked into alternative financing to leverage my equity to purchase the building and hit a wall. 

I’m assuming you had to find an alternate contractor during the rehabs.

Instead of paying rent and throwing that money out the window, I really want to get into house hacking as an alternative to start my REI journey.

., was a learning process for this first investment but better to overestimate than the alternative. 

we are trained and predisposed to be good at considering and weighing many alternative scenarios, and therefore are comfortable when the first plan falls through and can think quickly on our feet. 

Alternatively, the property may have received a variance or similar exception in the past and is now grandfathered in.