We are investors interested in the short term rental market; we like to move quickly, and seeking property in the 1.3M range. 

In the Charlotte NC market, I see mostly 98% to 109% list price to closed ratio and earnest money $5,000 to $10,000 in the median price range.

I agree that you want to focus on one maybe 2 markets and reach out to a bunch of realtors and tell them what you are looking for and in your price range. 

This property was in our purchase price range that we could afford a 25% down payment.

Any advice on how to secure that range of a loan would be great. 

Is hard money my only other option to fund a property in the range of $80,000-$150,000? 

The LLC is for my contracting business but I was also considering setting up a separate one for my rentals (especially if business financing is a possibility) or should my liability insurance be sufficient for now?

So that is a fairly limited market....as you go up the price range it gets thinner, and as you move down to $2100/month or so it gets stronger.   

I would gain less equity over two due to the increased cost, however, I can afford to purchase in this range using a zero down loan with no PMI.

Homes that old are subject to all sorts of issues ranging from knob & tube / fuses to shrunken cedar posts supports to ancient plumbing, so the inspection is not only key, it will also be a way to negotiate pricing down post-inspection.