This being said, I don't believe we'll be able to meet the income requirements to qualify for a conventional.This leads me to believe hard money or private lender is more the only option to get my foot in the door, use my business to make repairs at very good rates, build some equity then refi once the balloon is due. 

We try to meet every other Friday at 9am PT and I also set up a whatsapp group for us.

I would just start out by meeting with bankers, telling them your goals and mentioning some of the ideas you had(FHA vs conventional) and ask for their advice.

You should be going to real estate investor meetups to meet other, more experienced investors, instead of looking at markets farther away before you really know what you are doing.

Would be great to reconfigure the lot lines on the two additional parcels so they'd both meet the minimum to build.

One day I'll have to meet my maker  :)

I focus on finding deals that meet specific criteria, and I always keep my underwriting conservative to make sure the numbers work even on a worst case scenario.Right now, my big goal is to land my first property, ideally 20+ units in Florida, and build a strong portfolio from there.

Many people juggle lines of credit to meet current obligations.

It is 5 minutes from the ocean and is in a small community that is nestled in a valley between the mountains that meet the shoreline.

Does the city or building department not post the property with a big red  stop work poster ?