This has been my strategy here in NOVA as well - though true multifamily housing stock is hard to come by as you are probably already aware.

The "stock broker sales guy" won't work. 

Buying RE is nothing like buying index funds or stocks - Google it for 15 minutes, click on buy shares.

This could significantly increase the sale price and net profit after selling.Pros of Selling: Immediate large cash flow that could be reinvested elsewhere (stocks, other real estate).

Stretch the terms or better still negotiating favorable terms with the seller could significantly ease the burden of acquiring the property.Private Investors: As of December, the stock/forex market are performing bullishly. 

We have purchased two homes from the Short Term Shop and followed the principles shared in Avery’s book!

You might check with your Self-Directed IRA Trust Company/Custodian, they might have a brokerage connection capability where you can setup a brokerage account tied to your IRA, then you can with that brokerage to invest in various public market investments, in some cases stocks, mutual funds, ETF's, treasuries, and CD's.

RE isn't the stock market. 

To answer your questions here though:Alternative options - I was going to sell all my stocks and etfs, take out a HELOC, and some credit cards to try to shoestring together enough to the deal without a hard money loan. 

I do not understand your remark as related to the DSCR loan.  2 ADUs are not allowed by f/f conventional financing but is not always enforced.Fortunately if you stay with the current tenant without a refi, by the time you pay principle it is likely the rent will have increased enough to absorb the increase mortgage payment.