I know there is a solution here somewhere, but I'm having trouble spotting it.

Needs a new roof, floor in some spots are higher than others,  gutters, and I have already replaced the exterior doors.

As @Jay Hinrichs said most of these scams are super easy to spot if you just think about it or take some time to learn how banks and lenders operate. 

ARV has nothing to do with what someone will actually pay you for a house: it's what an appraiser says they think your house is 'worth' and that makes the bank feel comfy enough to lend you the amount you need to pull most or all of your cash back out so you can do the next deal (the final 'R' in BRRR is 'repeat'). 

The west side has some great beaches and surf spots to enjoy as well. 

Nobody intends on using it on the front end of the deal, but then they realize they can't find a buyer or the buyer won't pay what they are asking and pretty quickly it turns into an easy way out of the deal leaving the homeowner in a worse spot than before potentially.  

My sweat spot with note investing is buying 2nd non-performing mortgage notes on properties with over 150k FMV.

I don't know if the developers there are getting O-Zone benefits, but that has been about as hot a development spot in Raleigh for the past few years.

We've been doing the landlord game for years now, and what everyone else has said is pretty spot-on.

I need the money to stay liquid for when I reach that point of knowing how to spot a deal.