I figure if the deal is good enough I could find someone who’s willing to put down the money and get a preferred return.

I had made payment of $7000 on Jan 1st at the request of the CPA to avoid any penalties or fines, as the W2 holdings were not good enough this year.

As an owner-occupied property you'll qualify for low-down payment loans. 690 isn't great, but it's probably good enough to what you're looking for, if your DTI isn't out of control right now. 

At the same time, I found out who the tire kickers were, where it seemed like the deal was never good enough for them.

Not good enough for me just because of the ROI.

And don't forget, some Hard Money guys will finance the rehab if the project is good enough.  

So I was living for free (would be harder with just a duplex to get a good enough deal to live free... why not go for more units?). 

Some may say if the deal is good enough, go ahead and take on a problem tenant and then evict them.

There is a "Goldilocks" zone to hit where you need to make sure the property is in good enough condition to pass inspection, but also not overly done to the point of exceeding FHA loan limit OR simply overvalued.   

My only advice would be to buy properties in a good enough area where you can attract a quality PM company.