I am eager to learn from all of you and soak up as much knowledge and advice as I can.I come from a background in IT, and while real estate investment is new to me, I am passionate about learning and growing in this field.

Now, this still technically violates the due-on-sale clause, but it isn't likely to arouse suspicion. 

Background context:I have a 805 credit score, low DTI and attempting to secure the lowest cash out refi to pay off a debt ($50k).

Now, this next part is technical but important: When you work with a QI, you also want to make sure that the personal residence portion is specifically excluded out of your Exchange Agreement and the Assignment of Contract to the QI, and there should be separate settlement statements for each side of the transaction.

With your extensive sales background, Columbus presents an ideal opportunity to transition into the multifamily market.

While technically you can do it yourself, you would never get title insurance so you could never sell or finance the property.

The other things I invite you to do is, before you take advice on this or any forum...or from a guru...is to look up their background and see if they really know their stuff or if they simply want to sell snake oil.

@Neil SmithPull a list from the auditor of what you're looking to call, load it into a dialer, call the numbers and ask to speak with the owner (their first name) - Introduce yourself by being personable (Who you are(first and last name - age/background), where you're from(local guy), and get straight to the point - why you want to buy and if they're interested in hearing an offer on their property - it's like a quick handshake over the phone. 

But, personally I wouldn't start the renovation until I'd had done a background check on the person who lost the property, to see if they have other assets they could sell to redeem the property or relatives who might help them out. 

Make sure that you posted the property onto a digital website like Zillow, and always ensure that the tenant fills out the proper paperwork, so that you can review their background.