One idea I have is offering interactive VR/360 tours that can be used on Realtor.com, Zillow, Google maps and more.

I have worked in tech for the last 10 years and most of my relationship naturally are from there. 

You have to get used to interacting with home owners and being confident talking to sellers on the phone.

In my opinion what you're feeling is very natural which is why you lean on the math or connections with more experience to help level out the emotional roller coaster ride which is real estate.

Naturally, you could expand on this and do 4, 5 or even 6 contacts.

It is intangible property that is generally capital in nature in the hands of an investor, but may be inventory in select situations (e.g. dealing in crypto, some mining situations).Your definition of a security is also not a traditional one. 

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for me to take a look at such as videos to watch, articles to read, and things of that nature.

With the parcel I'm considering, I could fit a trampoline park/gym, a family oriented arcade restaurant, and/or a science driven interactive facility. 

Is this just the nature of obtaining an investment loan or am I going about something the wrong way?

The insurance company will try to determine what caused the crack ... if it was natural soil expansion/compaction, it's unlikely they'll cover it ... if it was, say, from a plumbing leak, there's a much better chance they'll pay for, at least, a part of it; however, that would then pose a different issue for you - I've seen new policies become very expensive when there are prior water damage claims on the property.