For instance, zip code 13210 shows a substantial rental market with higher median rents, especially for larger units.

The reason for this reduced value is because the buyer pool is substantially smaller.  

This would be substantial time for me as the property is a few hours away.

First try to get evidence substantiating the charge to your processor.

These loans focus on the property's rental income to cover the mortgage payments, making them ideal for investors without well-documented or substantial income. 

I’m being told by accountant you can’t do schedule E if going this route, but if you do schedule C then you have to provide substantial services.  

I've personally worked with a handful of "investor-friendly" lenders, primarily on DSCR loans in recent years, and each time I've run into significant delays, lack of transparency about the process, have been fed the requirements in a piecemeal fashion (every few days there's a new random request rather than having it all organized from the start), and have even run into lenders who were substantially misinformed about the real estate industry or the laws that govern it on both a local and federal level.I think there should be a better site to encourage accountability by tracking how long it actually takes each lender to close their loans on average, and what unexpected hurdles investors encounter when trying to work with them.I can't seem to find such a site.

well they are, The amount of posts I see everywhere have increased substantially for those wanting to rent to sec 8 .

It could very well be the route that is "cheapest" now, ends up being substantially more expensive down the road.If the costs above are not worth it to you...maybe pass on the LLC and get yourself a good insurance policy, and maybe an umbrella policy personally.

Rather than try to find a way to buy the property with no skin in the game I suggest you find a partner with some capital and share the deal. either that or wholesale the deal if it is for sale substantially below market value.