Maybe an outside the box idea would be to try to force some equity by making some improvements in the house you live in.

Pretty,  as others have stated here, the permitting process through the City of Cape Coral has been hindered by their ability to scale up their staff to handle the massive demands for all permitting including new construction but also anything else that requires a permit, home improvements, sea walls, alternative sea walls, pools and more.From your post, I can see that you are frustrated, and I believe some of that is due to not understanding the steps and processes of new construction, including what must be done prior to submitting permits.

Also, check out if there’s any new development or improvements happening nearby, as that can boost property values.

As a reminder, listing tenure positively impacts your performance on our marketplace.

. -- Thus, you can expect to get Class C or D tenants, which have a 15-25% probability of defaulting on their lease payments.2) If your PMC is lowering FICO to 550, what are they doing to improve their screening in other areas?

What I'm aiming for are turnkey rentals and trying to max out the amount of conventional, lower interest loans. again, the DTI income ratio will be IMPROVED if the property shows cash flow.

However, you can get loans that are based on the performance of the rental and not your personal income and debt.

I feel like my "circle of people" really needs an expansion and improvement and I want someone with more experience in the field I want to be in to really help me gain myself to success!

A smart seller/listing agent will likely require a large EMD to tie you to performing on your offer, so be prepared for that. 

Focus on finding a replacement with strong tenant screening processes and performance guarantees.