He told me they don't care if the houses make money, only that they more or less hold their principal because what we think of here in the US as volatility is laughable to most of the rest of the world. 

I’m trying to keep things moving, but this $20K requirement is throwing a wrench in my plans.

I doubt we will buy off the MLS but I am trying to find a good way to visualize MLS data so that I can plan our next purchase and get a "steal" that I will have instant equity or rehab for equity with the goal of getting a decent HELOC going.Because real estate values are so location based, it is hard for me to process the data on a spreadsheet, because I'm constantly trying to project it onto a map in mind.To know if what I'm looking at is a deal, I would like to be able to see $/sq.ft. data visualized on a map with either current listings or preferably sold properties. 

In addition to your down payment, plan for closing costs (around 2-5% of the purchase price) and set aside at least 3-6 months of expenses for repairs, maintenance, and vacancies.

@John Brown Running a short-term rental (STR) on a subleased property, often called rental arbitrage, is feasible but requires careful planning.

Most bookkeepers won’t work in it if you plan to outsource it in the future.

Additionally, you may be planning on living in this future home for some time. 

Yeah this is exactly the plan!

Given that the seller is financing the deal for the 2 years and then the plan is to re-finance it with a bank, I am having difficulty producing such financial analysis.

Years ago, being a property manager was what I planned on doing for my retirement gig.