Sorry to hear that you are dealing with an eviction, though with the high cost of living here and relatively lower wages, I suspect it is not uncommon. 

Any ideas how to lower this or use it as a owner occupied property?  

Most lenders will use the middle of your three credit scores and if there's more than one applicant, the lender will go with the lower of the two credit scores.

Originally posted by @Cara Lonsdale:Having access to the MLS and your lockbox key will allow you to search for properties in real time and gain access/entry when you want to view. 

Here’s how I’d approach it:For the 9.5% Loan: Refinancing into a DSCR loan makes sense to lock in a lower fixed rate, especially if your goal is stability and better cash flow.For the 7.25% Loan: If the local bank's investment HELOC offers a competitive rate, consider it for flexibility.

For instance, someone making $500k a year and living in a very highly appreciating market might be extremely happy on a deal that loses $200 a month but is getting 5% appreciation on a 2 million dollar property in San Diego, butut that doesn't make sense for the investor with 30k and a lower paying job.When it comes to the book series I agree with you that the order doesn't make sense (having read both).

Geographically, Michigan, New York and Ohio are great states to invest in with low barriers to entry. 

That is a really low entry price for sure.

This is what is pushing up rental demand for small MF properties that having lower rents, fees, or total move in costs compared to other larger commercial apartment complexes.

I'm looking to start off in areas with lower costs coming in, preferably under $100k single families but definitely under $200k.