I think you will find enough to either convince you to forego what you are contemplating, or to bite the bullet and invest the time and money to get set up correctly before buying homes.

Buyers came back in force last month as a modest, seasonal uptick in listings were enough to fuel an increase in contract signings throughout the country," says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

If you don't have experience with construction and looking for repairs, then go ahead with the home inspector until your more seasoned. 

On this forum I see that opinions like "stop shifting blame, man up, bite the bullet" are pretty popular....But my question is more about: how can I use this opportunity and help tenant understand that they should report issues ASAP even if they don't care about the place where they live?

It is equally easy to get a HELOC on the single family as the 3 family however seasoning will be an issue for you.

One thing I've learned from other seasoned investors is the art of pushing away a seller.  

I will have a good job with a competitive starting salary and a decent credit score, however, my only employment history to this point consists of part-time work, and summer and seasonal internships, since I have gone straight through school.  

Any advice from seasoned real estate investors on low maintance curb appeal lanscaping? 

Use your $300K for payments & to cover the gap not covered by Hard MoneyOnce the properties are finished & cash flowing you most likely won't be able to refinance w/ a traditional bank but there are lenders that will finance w/ only 6 months seasoning as long as the properties are cash flowing.  

Helped you fill vacancies even in low turnover seasons?