Living in one unit and renting out the others allows you to deduct 75% of expenses like mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, and shared repairs as rental expenses, while the remaining 25% applies to personal use.

they're not magic.are you going to in-person / informal meetups? 

I personally will try to avoid buying a home under 1000 square feet again.

Ask your employer if you can have your pay split up into three deposits, one to investments savings, one to your checking account for personal use on a daily basis, and one to an emergency account you can tap into so you don't have to tap into your investment savings.

Quote from @John Friendas: As a person with an average salary, I was wondering what the maximum amount of DSCR loans a lender would give out would look like?

If an in-person visit is not feasible, we can easily arrange video tours to accommodate your schedule.

Lots of loan options can close in an LLC, helocs usually need to close in your personal name.

Personally, I would hang on to the cash.  

I’m not a former IRS person.

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.