I believe a large amount of our ad spend was spent to advertise the program.

More great news, our market just keeps on delivering. 

I am still personally buying rentals but I am not expecting much in the way of cash flow at the moment.

Quote from @William Dorrough: I currently either purchase and value add large scale multifamily properties or develop, and build ground up my issue with scaling is we have done this without brining in investors i have a great deal flow with a good track record im really looking to do more i have the capacity but have the need for more capital in one way or another  Scaling without investors can be tough, especially in multifamily.

The price range for the home would be $1M - $1.8M.Is there any way I could qualify for 3.5% down instead?

Obviously every situation is unique it's on you to check with your intermediary and lender to determine what price range would be realistic to start looking for deals in before it closes so you are ready to roll. 

Investing in  2-4 unit properties within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex would be ideal but I am also interested in other potential deals, that fall within the 2-4 unit range. 

If you have a chunk of money to get going I'd personally buy the biggest thing you can if you don't I think house hacking into a 4 plex is great. 

In your proposed case you would be compounding this negative position by taking away the best source of financing for a large percentage of potential buyers.  

Both Ecobee and Honeywell are great options for smart thermostats so you can remotely control the temperature settings and set temperature ranges.