It saddens me to see millions of people strapped to their jobs, trying to protect their holy grail 401K, until they are 60, and then start taking their "distributions", having a couple of decades left to live.

First day on the job?

My wife and I have good W2 jobs currently so we get better terms with traditional lending in comparison to DSCR lending. 

My sacrifice… no haircuts and no fast food. 1 job full time, 1 full time side hustle. 0 debt at the time other than student loans.

This type of loan can be a great short-term solution to help you acquire and improve the property before refinancing into a long-term loan or selling it for profit.

I know, I get a lot of different kinds of checks because I work with corporations, schools, banks, jobs, etc.

Columbus also has great macroeconomics - lots of job growth, population growth, and major employers developing here.

Misjudged the job cost (contractor error, usually results in asking for more money)2.

I would purchase a duplex (or even better, purchase a SFH with as many bedrooms as you can afford and rent by the room), and then slowly improve the property. 

That profit will increase over time and improve your return.