and look at all the macroeconomic factors external to your market, but still have an indirect influence on it. 

Check out books like Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B.

I'm skeptical that only $2000 in repairs is going to boost your ARV  to $150k (which is, admittedly, still low for the Heights). 

& @Edward B.The use of leverage in an IRA can be a very powerful strategy to boost ROI. 

I have networked on here and within my sphere of influence and have found that U S Bank is very competitive and very hungry for real estate opportunities.

I figure if i find a good deal that doesnt require too much time or money in repairs and find a suitable renter, its more cashflow to give me that little boost to get started before i can make some waves.So my question or advice that im seeking is, when i do find the deal(s) that i like, do you think it would be more beneficial for my situation to buy at 3.5% down and buy more houses that way in order to get the ball rolling or put down 20% on one house?  

What happens at 6 years that boosts your cash flow  $200/month?

However, in your experience, how much of that truly influences opportunity within an emerging market?

Catching their attention and holding it enough to influence your message upon them is the whole goal.

Obviously you don't have a mortgage so that boosts the bottom line.