I'm assuming based on my budget, that totally rules out being able to afford a single-family home?

Vegas is not a great market for apartments, at least not affordable small multifamily.

We have a preferred lender who studied the past election years and noticed the effect, but due to the pandemic and the normalizing of our market, can we expect there to be a surge come Jan 1 with the election being over and interest rates stepping down to affordable rates? 

Get your finances in order and talk to a lender so you know what you can afford before thinking about location.

Chances are, a guy who can afford $5K in rent will eventually be employed again and want to deal with that judgment you obtained against him.

I also personally think that Buildium is underrated and affordable for financial reporting property-by-property, especially if you have a desire to continue owning long-term rentals after your BRRRR. 

ThanmaI would recommend focusing on Anderson, SC, as it has experienced significant growth in recent years and serves as a more affordable alternative to Greenville, SC.

It is affordable and user friendly.

You would need to have a rock solid argument prepared for how community benefit (affordable housing?)

Using the above post as an example if you do t have Covenants on your checklist you need to add it.