Go through each major line item and come to an agreement on what really needs to be done.

So, in reality every month your moving close and closer to sucking out months/years of profits via items aging out, cap-x coming to bear. 

Good summary of what your market is looking for but as we all know, each market tends to have its "wish / want" items which differ from market to market.Flow is definitely a selling point but make adjustments come with a cost. 

I am the first in my family to do REI and my goal is to break the tradition of working for a salary for 40+ yrs only to retire on what I hope will be enough to start living freely.

It merely means you will likely have a difficult time refinancing the property to a traditional lending source.

As an investor your ratios won't look good to the traditional lenders.

Install cameras and exterior lighting on timers, place no trespassing signs, and place items that indicate occupancy - like a BIG dog bowl near the front door, shoes, etc. 

You cannot have a traditional homeowners policy and a landlord policy on the same dwelling.

The challenge, as you’ve discovered, is that traditional HELOC lenders typically want the property titled in a personal name rather than an LLC.

Jimmy,You need to show (2) years of 1099 SE income in order to use FHA, or traditional financing to get approved for a mortgage.