If you're in the flipping business then I think there is always the game of Russian Roulette involved.

For example, are you the kind of person where, if you invested a few/several thousand in a course, that'd you'd be motivated to the point of not failing because of that skin in the game?

You don't have any way of knowing what condition they got the unit in, unless there's some good documentation from the previous owner (rarely is there), and smoking takes repainting, sometimes new carpet, ozone machines, and deep cleaning of everything to get the smell out so you probably don't have enough deposit to get it done.

Game cameras are cheap and can give you other angles of the house on the super cheap.

I know the pains and struggles of the self-employed game, and I haven't used traditional financing for any of my properties, as I still haven't hit that 2-year mark.

Another example is mold/mildew in the washing machine - that wasn't there at closing. 

Younger investors, or older ones without kids and parents and dogs and other such things can certainly choose to live in a duplex unit.I don't expect this to be a game changer, although I do expect that it will change the way ADUs are appraised.

. #1 getting deals is about making lots of offers and its a numbers game and offers have contingecies.

I don't feel playing the appreciation game is the best strat after the housing market increase the past 10 months. 

For someone strapped for capital, the additional ~$10-20K saved by not having to furnish a property is a game changer.