Lately I have found some excellent small business contractors that do great work without the high overhead.  

Its going to be managed by a property manager and thus a passive investment which is allowed per h1b rules.However, I am being needed to procure state and county hotel tax certificates which almost seems like I am launching a hotel business in the records of state.I am starting to wonder if this can cause issues down the lane when renewing my visa or applying for green card.If anyone else has a similar experience or own STRs on h1b, urgently want to discuss this with you.

I see many first time investors make the mistake of buying in a college town, but not where the students want to live.Business Sprints - You work like a lion in this business.

Your relationship with a CC means nothing to a bank except credit score-very different businesses. 

I'm aware that approach may go against the very idea of flipping (e.g. 70% rule), but at this stage I prefer to be as cautious as possible, even if my margins might be smaller.

There is one guideline I don't fully understand which makes it hard to know if it's satisfied, which is "The Servicer has complied with all mortgage insurance requirements applicable to the transfer." .. not totally certain what that is, any idea? 

If I'm one of the first people looking at it or if I have a direct line to the seller, I might try to get an idea of the price range before I go.

In our area (Orlando / Kissimmee / Davenport), summer is super busy. 

I've been hesitant to go into business with friends, but it could be a powerful play, and a valuable learning experience.

It sounds like the idea is good for more of a SFR, or a 1-4 unit rehab but my concern from a lender's perspective is the needed experience in the more 10+ unit space to give "normal" (80% leverage) on a deal like this.