What if I don’t fix then they will not pay the deposit to me ?

If you have lower class rentals C-/D class then you might feel you need to be able to pressure tenants to keep them in line and the ability to non-renew them could be a benefit.

Will you put up seasonal decor (Christmas) or pay someone to do it? 

Getting a W2 job is always a good option that makes it so you can pay your bills.   

I ended up with the goal of living in the area paying less than what I would pay for rent ($1700) while building equity on a property.

I keep seeing posts about HB 24-1098 which severely restricts a landlords ability to evict non paying tenants or restricting folks on rental assistance from the government.  

As for renting, going cash flow negative isn't great, and your home isn't likely to appreciate as fast as it would if it was a single family home, so holding with hopes of increasing appreciation may be a verrrry slow play, but if you can afford to hold, having a tenant pay down your mortgage is an additional great benefit to real estate investing. 

If 80% CLTV is achievable I would be looking at lines of credit around 400+k, 300+k, and another 300+k.

Either way...costs have SKYROCKETED in the building material space...people who are building at such a low fee are likely their own GC and not paying themselves properly@Alex L. - What prompted the purchase of the lot? 

A simple Bi-Weekly with added payments can pay off a mortgage in 10-12 years.This strategy allows you to pay more at your own pace having a failsafe unlike a 15 year where you are obligated to pay more every month.