Its easy for a contractor to spend your money and say replace things.

@Collin HendersonI think the best move is to find a private money lender to loan you the money for the rehab, then refinance into a conventional loan.

-If you do a long term rental, how do you pay back the hard money lender/private lender (if you use one)?

The last thing you want is a buyer having expectations of how a home is going to look and then be disappointed when they walk in bc the listing photos present the home differently than it actually is.2. 

He made his early money on Bitcoin and was not successful at Cintas. 

To win as a first-time or seasoned house hacker who is ok with less space, you want to look for funky layouts.For example, a three bed and a one bed is a huge score because you can live in the small unit and make more money without room hacking or wasting space in your unit.

Unless you are looking to go hard money you will not secure financing for a vacation home with 5-10% down.

You can invest your money in stock and sit back and literally do nothing and get some reasonable returns.

When you cash out refi, you can use the money to improve the property and/or buy your next investment.

The skills you learn doing this will pay you actual money but also come in super handy anytime you negotiate with anyone, have to put effort into getting a tough deal to close, real estate terminology, contracts, and so on.Good luck with your journey.