@Lauren MerendinoI strongly believe that your chosen market should be somewhere that you can go to in person / have strong personal knowledge of / have family or a network in already.  

Localized knowledge for an agent or investor is needed to answer most of these questions.

@Jefferson Black- thanks - I am not aware of any lender that  will do a loan on an INV  manuf home property ...you might contact the local small to mid size credit unions and banks in your area ...you also might try the bank that you have  funds deposited at - good luck

Have you considered dropping by one of your local REIA meetings to see what lenders your peers are using?

For us (in Las Vegas), it is common to have $200 to $300 in unplanned expenses on a ~$20,000 job.It will take longer than expected.CRITICAL - Unless you have a local person with construction experience to walk the property at least every other day, the job will take longer, cost more, and have poorer quality.If you have questions, please post them, and I will try to answer them.

Did you try a local CU or bank for a construction to permanent loan?

Of course there could be some other local businesses that might would want to use or share a couple of the offices that would possibly increase revenue. 

This strategy aligns well with the buy-and-hold model.Leverage Local Expertise: Partner with professionals like real estate agents familiar with rental markets and property managers who understand tenant needs.

There are some programs through local government systems where you may be able to receive a tax abatement or grant here in Michigan in an effort to help beautify a neighborhood.

This is true for every jurisdiction in the state but of the local jurisdictions I am only aware of the city of San Diego having indicated a duration (12 months).