You will remain responsible for the rent for up to 2 months - but what we will do is turn on our marketing, find a new tenant, and as soon as we get them in the unit, you will be off the hook for the balance of the 2 months owed.  

If the renovation cost makes the total purchase creep up very close to the new build, I think it's a no brainer. 

I recommend attending local real estate meet ups to network with other investors.

I suspect you do not want to go to 100% vacancy.If you are raising rents a small amount, that is less important.If you are putting them on a lease, make sure your lease-end dates are staggered so that you don't, by chance, end up at 100% vacancy.

Fyi, after my research on about a half a dozen property management companies I ended up engaging with Spinnaker in Tacoma mainly due to the fact that they don't provide any brokerage services just pure property management.

BP doesn't allow me to post contact details so I'll follow up in a private message.Best of luck,Mathew

Is it possible to get a conventional residential loan for a mixed use property so i don't have to come up with the 25% down payment?

I would suggest watching some youtube videos, come up with your own variation of someone elses script and practice it until it sounds natural.

It does not authorize you to use their information for other reasons and you would open yourself up to a potential lawsuit.

The lower of 4% or local CPI guarantees in the long term the existing tenant rents will not keep up with inflation.