In my developments, I went to everyone I could in the area and got the most RELIABLE (not cheapest) person in order to make my numbers work the best. 

Would you buy 5 houses in Clarksville, which rent for less than your mortgage payment? 

Keeping service quality as a top priority definitely sets you apart as a reliable PML.

I'm basically looking for input in the following:Option 1: Buy a couple of properties and split the money from the 1031 exchange for the down payments.

S8 will include utilities in the rent payments to the landlord, BUT ONLY UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT.

Maybe you can use your duplex as collateral seeing as you don’t have a big down payment?

Do you plan to pay all cash with the equity or use it as a down payment?

This is money that was used for the kitchen and down payments on our last two properties. 

The only things that matter are credit, down payment, reserves, and DSCR ratio! 

If the rental income doesn’t sufficiently cover the debt payments by their standards, they’ll limit the loan amount, even if the property is worth more.You could try a few alternatives:•Look for lenders who specialize in commercial real estate and have more flexible DSCR requirements.