To find places with high rental demand, good economic circumstances, and room to develop, conduct in-depth market research.Examine your alternatives for financing, including conventional mortgages, private lenders, FHA, VA, and partnership loans.

Comparing the live-in flip approach to refinancing, the former offers the potential for higher profits through sweat equity but demands significant time and effort for renovations and alternative living arrangements during the process.

Considering your equity and cash reserves, exploring alternative financing options like traditional mortgages or partnerships might provide a more balanced approach to acquiring your investment property while mitigating risk.

Alternatively, you could open unsecured business credit lines and cards to tap for short-term use to cover down payments and closing costs (there's a company that specializes in helping real estate investors do this).

(alternatively does Vanguard offer self directed IRAs?)

Either make sure your partner gets 100 hours and you do 101, that way you get the benefit ;) alternatively you both can do 500 hours and both get the benefit. 

There are better alternatives.

Sellers will still want to offer incentive to a buyer's professional (although the quantity/percentage is likely to be reduced) as alternative compensation structures become available.

Exploring creative financing options like portfolio loans leveraging combined property income, hard money loans based on property equity, private money lending from investors, or negotiating seller financing for new property acquisitions could offer viable alternatives to support your investment goals.

Just one alternative way to look at it.