Both of your invest strategies above I don’t consider as RE investment.  

Worst case scenario is where a seller does a lipstick on a pig repair such as just parging over it and then not disclosing the issue because you might get the sale price but open yourself to future liability when something happens. 

Protecting yourself from any future issues will require a good understanding of the situation your house is in when you buy it.Tl;dr: crime here is relatively low, declining population numbers don't take students into account, properties are cheap, rents are high BUT be careful where you buy.This concludes my TED Talk, ha!

Plus the future rent income.  

I no longer invest in rental properties directly, I prefer spreading small amounts ($5K) in real estate syndications through an investment club, but we did a write-up on this company a little while back.

My purpose behind my decision to pursue REI is to gain financial freedom for wife and I, my future family as well as have the ability to make sure my parents are well taken care of once they reach the retirement age.If I had to label myself I’d want to be known as an open minded rental investor for all long term, mid term and short term investing, with the occasional flip for quicker capitol to put back into another rental.

The under writing doesn't carry for a 1.25 DSCR which (at the moment) is the golden rule for banks and commercial hard money lenders. 

I am afraid we will fall for a property with a false sense of a good deal.Are there any suggestions to help me run an analysis that would better account for the larger down payment and allow me to better analyze potential properties in the future.

I'm new to RE and I'm interested in attending some quality meetups. 

If it's not in writing then technically its up for grabs, you can fight the broker's split request.