@Chris Jensen It was a college town & as the economy recovered rents went up but the improvements & updates gave them an extra boost & made them last!

It appears to give you a temporary boost based on finding good financing.

You can get an investment property without a job but its an entirely new animal and usually requires a very high credit and a good chunk of capital.Typically the bank wants 6-12 months of employment history so get that job and live as lean as possible to build up your savings and research ways to boost your credit to mid 700's if possible. 

I'm skeptical that only $2000 in repairs is going to boost your ARV  to $150k (which is, admittedly, still low for the Heights). 

& @Edward B.The use of leverage in an IRA can be a very powerful strategy to boost ROI. 

I figure if i find a good deal that doesnt require too much time or money in repairs and find a suitable renter, its more cashflow to give me that little boost to get started before i can make some waves.So my question or advice that im seeking is, when i do find the deal(s) that i like, do you think it would be more beneficial for my situation to buy at 3.5% down and buy more houses that way in order to get the ball rolling or put down 20% on one house?  

What happens at 6 years that boosts your cash flow  $200/month?

Its not really a scam, but more an ethical/moral issue..  

@Angel Morales I have purchased flips using owner carry terms  I gave them a 10-20% down payment at closing.

Obviously you don't have a mortgage so that boosts the bottom line.