Any knowledge I can attain will be priceless.

If you have the resources and hustle, you can find ample deals between these two resources.

The lender says my DTI will be close attaining the new loan for the replacement rental I would like. 

I know it’s tough to get short term rental permits in some cities but heard it is attainable in the Palm dessert, La Quinta, Indio and much more cities.

So, we still only have about 30 owners we have attained. 

In the end, we kept it as a livable unit since there was ample driveway and street parking.

But that's not a goal.As I told folks in a different thread, a goal should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound).

With this being said and speaking from experience, if you are interested in getting into the sponsor or manager role of a "syndication", start with something you feel attainable with which allows you to build those "syndication" skills and grow upon.This simply means, rather than jump into a large syndication, perhaps run lead or sponsor on a sfh, duplex, triplex or quad acquisition.

If attainable, I want to put together a deal that would be good for my in-laws but at the same time would allow me to get involved in my first flip project.

I think reserve requirements are lender specific but from a practical standpoint, make sure you have an ample amount.