My two cents is to explore house hacking opportunities before you invest out of state. 

I was thinking that flipping one or two mobile homes would provide some cash to put towards reserves for a house hack or something like that.

I am here in SD and been in the real estate game for 20 years.  

You may want to talk to an intermediary as they'd have a lot more knowledge on how the whole process works than I would, it's fairly rare that I see something like this happen, but I usually get it once every year or two.

If a contractor has skin in the game, obviously he will go above and beyond to ensure the project is profitable for himself and the investor. 

Today, because of inflation, a $250,000 or $500,000 gains of much more than $250,000 or $500,000 are not uncommon, so many people go over, especially in higher-priced markets.”Take the Tests to See if You Qualify for ExclusionsTo qualify for the exclusions, you must satisfy tests that you’ve lived in your house for at least two of the last five years and have owned it for at least two of the last five years, says Jack McGuff IV, owner of McGuff Financial, based in Pearland, Texas.

I’d consider giving you a good deal on one or two before I I begin working on them.

If he wants to play games, give him a written 30-day notice of termination before he even moves in.

The two got into a heated argument, and the police were eventually called.

So if you have two bedrooms and a common space, and all 3 of those spaces are about the same size, that's 3 rooms, so the exclusively-for-renter-use room would be 1/3.