Also, I’ve been reading that section 8 tenants come in a variety of flavors but the majority are not quality.

When you're there in person you'll really get a flavor for the neighborhood and the town as well as the quality of the subs you plan to hire, etc... 

There are always exceptions but that should not be your intent in buying liens.1) What do you need to research prior to purchasing - again, its state specific but some things that come to mind: what kind of liens are attached (not all liens would be wiped out if you eventually were to go after the deed), is the property there (i.e. check for a burned out building), etc, have prior year taxes been purchased? 

Every lender we've spoken to in NYC claims to never have even heard of the FHA construction-to-perm program, except for a single mortgage broker who we're hesitant to work with, as he's a developer himself and we're nervous that he wants to buy the plot we're hoping to build on.Ideally, we hope to secure an FHA construction-to-perm loan for a 2-family home in Brooklyn, NY, within the King County FHA limits.

I am not far from that plan.  1 extra roll of TP in each bathroom1 towel for each guest +1 extra for up to a 3 night stay.  2 extra towels for more than 3 nights  (I send out my linens to a wash house that charges by the pound)No extra bed linens unless they are staying longer than a weekSame kitchen stuff as you but only have 2 light bulbsAA and AAA batteries for remotesThrow away most items except for the (3) pairs of brand new size 13 nike's my son wears now and new designer flip flops my non-cleaning lady wears.

Except electrical- Many of the older homes have knob/tube so that can be a hassle. 

Purchase price: $150,000Down payment: $10,000 (one advantage of using a local bank, they make exceptions for LTV, etc.)Interest rate: 5.16% (little high, but worth it for non-fha house-hack)P&I, property taxes, and insurance: $986.12 (also, since it is an in-house bank loan there is no Mortgage Insurance, sweeeet!)

Originally posted by @Paul OBryan: Is there wisdom in getting pre-qualified (but not yet credit checked)  "Pre qualified without a credit check" holds no value, except inasmuch that a bunch of stated income / stated credit prequal letters is probably cheaper than purchasing toilet paper if you want a money saving strategy for toiletries.Of the lenders you interviewed for the job that are local to the state where you wish to invest, hire the most competent/responsive/knowledgeable, and get a full doc preapproval that'll show real estate agents that you're a dead serious carpetbagger, and not yet another out of state tire kicker and time waster from California. 

Or as often happens there are folks that just have expectations that are not achievable.Nothing is inherently wrong with any of those folks above (except maybe the un-achievable expectation folks) but the staff needs to prioritize.

Kitchen cabinets are not in great shape, but all appliances except for the fridge are there (working or not, I don't know  - house is "winterized").