How to take the next step

[Andrew Breedlove]

Hello all!

This is my first post on here but have been following bigger pockets for a long time. I'm 25 years old and I recently bought my 2nd single family home and am closing in on finishing the renovations on it. My first home, I bought in 2020 for $172,000 and a recent appraisal valued it at $340,000 so a lot of equity in that. My 2nd, I bought for $255,000 (which was $100,000 under list price) and am $12,000 in on a gorgeous complete reno. 

I have an opportunity where some people I know are being charged $3,000/month for a 4 bed house (not being treated well by their landlord either) and just got the notice that rent is being increased to $3,400/month and they want out, but they don't have another place to go yet. I want to buy another property and put these already vetted and qualified tenants into it but I don't have the DTI to put another property in my personal name (yet) seeing as I'm currently living in the 2nd property and can't put tenants in it yet seeing as renovations haven't finished. My first house has tenants but the tenants are my best friend and his girlfriend, who I am not gouging for rent, so until the lease is done I'm losing out on cashflow (which I'm okay with seeing as he is family without being related).

My question is, how do I go about securing the next property for the tenants? If I were to cashout refi the first property my tenants rent more than likely wouldn't cover the new mortgage and I can't put tenants into my 2nd yet to have that taken off my DTI to get the third in my name. Should I reach out to a hard money lender, find a partner to go in with, try a creative financing or seller financing deal, or just wait until I can have my ducks in a row a little better so I don't risk a worse situation?

Thanks for any input!