I also have the option to partner (silent) in with someone who is willing to invest up to $100k for 50% of the deal which will basically just buy me the property, but i'd still have to come out of pocket for the reno.Not sure if either sound appealing and wondering if anyone has a recommendation which might be the better choice if any at all.Many thanks

That's why the buyer went to the other street & why the seller on your street had to put it on sale to get it sold.Never rent in owner occupied areas. 

It is mostly materials and I won't need to use a GC as the electric and plumbing are all basically new.

However, you can still run into issues if you finance the wrong buyer and they stop paying.

Most of the answers to the basic questions you're asking have already been answered here numerous times.There are plenty of free guides here on Bigger Pockets - starting with "The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Investing" https://www.biggerpockets.com/files/329/download.

Example: Property goes under contract with distressed owner /=/ property gets marketed to cash buyers /=/ another wholesaler comes along interested in the property with a cash buyer in hand ready to buy /=/ contract gets assigned to secondary wholesaler /=/ wholesaler assigns to end buyer and closes within the contracted time frame of the original owner to wholesalers contract.

some youtube channels recommend finding buyers first , asking their criteria but some say to find the deal first market it & then buyers will come to you ?

Sometimes there's a period of time only for owner occupied buyers and after that if it doesn't go under contract, the home opens up to investor bids.

As @Dave Foster said, you will basically split one purchase into two.

They say it’s basically impossible to get a re zone letter.