If you can make it cash-flow with the included low rents and high turnover then go for it! 

You need high occupancy for office which in today's market is not always the case.5-8 units you can get 30 year terms.

I've tried hiring contractors but the cost seems so high it's hard to make deals work, so my question is where do you find people to hire full time for general work like drywall, flooring, painting etc......

I used to live in Hawaii , and the entry barrier is just high.

Starting from scratch with power poles, septic tanks, roads, drives, etc. 

I'm going to give you some advice because I know the borrower profile that big box lenders like.First, get your credit as high as possible. 

I would highly recommend The Storage Rebellion.

The two main downsides are finding syndicators and deals to invest with, and the high minimum investment - $50-100K if you invest by yourself.

If a new investor comes in with a 300k purchase and a 200k rehab in a high end market where it will take 3 months to sell, a lender will not be so hot to lend a newbie in that situation.

Even with relatively high rates, deals are still moving quickly here.