All that to say, I highly suspect appreciating home values and increasing rents in the coming years, but current rent is lagging behind home price.-  The current tenant only pays $900 and can only increase a little because he pays with his SS income. - If I were to find some creative renter solution and low-ball the market rent at $1700, I could only put in about $180K total assuming a conventional mortgage to generate acceptable cash flow.So, apart from increasing rent and managing the property myself what are ways that I could make something like this work?

That could greatly increase your premiums or even get you dropped, so don't make that decision lightly! 

Let me share some insights that might help you evaluate your options.Regarding the HELOC on your SFH rentalLeverage and Risk Taking out a HELOC that taps into most of your equity can amplify your purchasing power, but it also increases your financial risk.

The property has become increasingly costly to maintain, and a significant portion of our cash flow is being directed towards repairs.

There are onsite recreational facilities.The use of the accelerated depreciation strategy helps real estate investors to reduce the tax liability immediately which therefore increases their bottom line due to the offsetting of income.

I increased the equity by $200K on mine by freshening up the lower unit and fixing some systems in the building. 

While perishable foods may increase in price, I do not think it will have a major impact on inflation if it is a short strike.

If I were forced to pick, I’d lean towards purchasing two properties to diversify and spread the risk while potentially increasing your overall cash flow.

Building a scalable real estate business requires developing a foundation that can grow efficiently without exponentially increasing operational costs.

Every day, it seems like more and more inquires, meetings being scheduled, showings requested. Exciting! Investors never stop!