The holder of the note makes no real difference; in Jane's case, it might be more advantageous to her to hold the note than sell outright depending on how she can absorb the sale from a tax perspective; in your case you don't have enough income to do a conventional loan so getting a seller carry can give you more properties.

They keep sending different inspectors and each ones says one thing, we get it done, another comes back for another round of things.

I live in the Northern California area and hope to invest in many different markets. 

Currently have a couple rentals, a flip going on and made income from 2 different LLC last year.

Digital nomads, corporate travelers, construction workers, relocations, families experiencing an insurance claim and many, many more types of travelers are looking for furnished accommodations and they each have different requirements for what they're looking for.

Being an agent and an investor yourself, do you do your own deals or do you prefer to outsource to a different agent?

I enjoy how the work takes me to different places around the city. 

also, I am exploring different funding options including HELOC, HEL, etc.Given current rates are quite high and sticky, how do you recommend to utilize these funding options?

I have been looking and doing some research on different areas to invest into and so far I have gathered information on which zip codes to avoid, the crime data for Detroit & neighboring cities/towns, rental values, demographics & economic outlook. however, I haven't been able to narrow down on any particular neighborhood yet.

However, everyone has different life circumstances, goals, expertise, and time.