Jimmy,You need to show (2) years of 1099 SE income in order to use FHA, or traditional financing to get approved for a mortgage.

@Mike ReynoldsRegarding your comment that if you need funds you can use money from your side business:You can't use non-retirement funds to pay for expenses related to real estate held inside you Solo 401k.Subject to the contribution rules and income limitations, you may be able to contribute non-retirement funds to your Solo 401k (e.g. as an employee or employer contribution) and then you could use the funds in your 401k to pay for expenses related to real estate owned by your Solo 401k.

If transferring the property to an LLC, be mindful of the due-on-sale clause, and note that an LLC itself does not offer tax savings unless electing S-Corp status, which is rare for rentals.To maximize tax benefits, consider cost segregation, bonus depreciation, and short-term rental (STR) strategies, which could allow you to offset W-2 income if structured properly.

Property owners get an annual update on their SEV & Taxable Values with their city property tax bill, typically sent in December.So now, the city assessor tracks the SEV, but homeowners are taxed based upon the capped Taxable Value.

The debt to rent income is fantastic, but I understand if the city is not growing.

Incomes are having a hard time keeping up.  

With comps ranging from $875K-$1M and your estimated build cost at $550K, the after-completion value gives you a significant equity cushion, making this project highly attractive to lenders.If you plan to hold and rent the property, you could refinance into a DSCR loan after construction, which bases lending on rental income rather than personal income.

@Apryl Skahill To get your risk-averse spouse on board with real estate investing, start by educating him with beginner-friendly resources that highlight the long-term stability, cash flow potential, and tax benefits of real estate, such as depreciation deductions and offsetting W-2 income.

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

Transferring a property title later could be deemed a taxable gift if it exceeds the annual exclusion ($17,000 for 2024).