Either way, you made the right choice.

I am an extreme DIYer but I would hire a quality GC for a larger project like this.  

Just know the that your choices can both have positive and negative effects.

I'm considering keeping this home when we move into a larger home in the next year.Has anybody else converted their old primary residence to a rental? 

That is my understanding and I've been to 5 of the islands and have not seen anything larger than a mobile construction office. 

@Rick Griffith  of course we all start somewhere I started by selling Real estate and making commissions an saving money to invest.. when my friends were making 2. 50 an hour in 1975 I was making 5k a month.. but in all candor I was one heck of a salesmen. and that is lost on most investors.. they lack sales skills.And yes if you lack your own personal funds and do not have job that will allow you to save larger dollars quick then the next thing you need is to find equity partners.

Oh, so many choices....  

I am always interestded in talking with other agents who understand systems allow us to deliver better service to a larger number of customers.

(If I were to sell it off market I imagine that the agent would want a larger cut) Any tips?

As a result, pre-funded sites have a larger selection pool of potential sponsors, which results in a better selection pool for the marketplace, and for the investor.