There is an exception to get a 2nd simultaneous FHA loan however you'll have to have one of these 4 situations to qualify along with 25% equity on your current property which it seems like you do (close enough):1) larger family size (evidenced with medical pictures/documents for legal adoption/birth certificates)2) You were a cosignor but not currently occupying a property of another FHA borrower and now you want to buy or qualify for your own FHA home loan3) legally separate from an exspouse with which whom you shared a FHA loan together on a home and now you want to qualify for your own FHA home loan4) you're relocating for a job (need employer offer letter signed/dated by employer or HR)Your other issue with qualification is DTI and that is often true that its capped at 45% DTI or debt to income however you can also go up to 50 or 50.5% too so there might be some room to work towards there to get that additional borrowing ability.Paying down your existing loan is probably the worst way to obtain more qualifying ability especially when your current note from FHA on your current property is at 2.70% as you mentioned. 

Any county or city zoning certificates  10.  

If you were in the area or if you have someone that really knows the market in the area you could take that gamble and it may pay off but just as easily it could leave you selling for half of what you purchased it for in 5 years.Now my final disclosure, BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING in Port Huron you need to go read the new zoning rules that the local government has passed that no longer allows rentals in certain neighborhoods as well as the landlording regulations that require rental certificates and inspections.I do want to let you know that when I started investing in Port Huron in '09 I had hoped to buy bad houses in the Hospital / College area, fix them up and rent them to stabilize that community.

Ditto, you're looking at Certificate sales, not Tax Deed auctions.  

Increase your neighborhood value, better tenants, etc.And please make sure the property you acquire has a correct certificate of occupancy with the city.  

When you request a certificate of eligibility (COE) from the VA (can be done through the ebenefits portal) it will tell you how much benefits you have left.

Universities offer real estate investment/ development certificates and I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on the certificate from Fordham.

The websites US Tax Lien Association and the Tax Lien Certificate School, are these recommendable?  

Anyone taken one of the real estate investment analysis certificate courses that MIT and Harvard offer?

I was planning to get my certificate first and then the license eventually, but is it even worth to go for certificate first ?