I know what the competition is and what other choices they have.

Just wanted to pass on that Navy Federal has a Homebuyers Choice option, 0% downpayment, really 0%, no PMI, but higher interest rate and 1.75% funding fee (and sellers can contribute up to 6%!)

When given the choice, most budding investors will seek the easy path.

Since it's easy and advantageous to write off in the same year, It is easy for me to be consistent in that manner, but I don't think we have that choice, we have to follow what IRS allowing.

Initially, we bought the larger house 7 years ago because we had family members living with us at the time.

Typically reno scope/rents/insurance/etc. are very market-specific, so building your analysis muscle for your chosen market is important so that you go in with the best possible chance to make an educated choice on purchasing.

I can tell you that the OSU area is indeed a great choice for investment because of the high demand for rental properties and the limited vacancies.

A quick Google search for the Ashland, KY area only list a larger local company and I'm fairly certain they own all the properties they manage, or out of state companies that I'm not sure would manage quads (which is probably where I would start). 

DSCR lenders loan on the cash flow of the property more than your credit so they are often a good choice How fast can you save?

For example, if there's more smaller units on the OTAs then it can be a good indicator to purchase larger units for MTR since there's less inventory of larger units.