Face the fear--get yourself in front of more sellers.Little by little, your presentations will become more comfortable, and your success rate will increase.  

This really has not changed much but has increased since a few years ago everyone was pushing overpriced deals.So if you want to make the most money in real estate - you do not need to learn real estate just be a good sales person and fake it till you make it.  

I just do not want to take this possibility off the table if it could help us really get moving in terms of number of doors we have rented out (a 2/3/4 door rental is an exponential increase in our cash flow, compared to the single family home we are planning to buy first). 

Now there was an increase in the bill to 1,755$ for 3 months.

With inventory tightening and competition increasing, what strategies have been most effective for sourcing truly undervalued properties?

They can introduce you to all the local players you will need like property managers and lenders.Over time, increase your own personal knowledge and development with books, podcasts, and conferences on the topic.But finding a commercial real estate broker with a teacher's heart will go a long way to getting you started.To your success!

That is assuming your DTI can cover the increased mortgage payment.If you have use for that extra $100k that you would get back right now then don’t wait.

It’s easy to find tenants, population/jobs are increasing, and property taxes/insurance aren’t skyrocketing. 

Also considering live and flip, or make our first home we buy an opportunity to increase our income as well (renting basement or part of the unit).

The property value has increased quite a bit since then and i would like to increase it, but i wasn't sure it they would entertain it being that its an investment now and not my primary home.