Moreover, there are leasing companies such as PadSplit and HomeRoom who implement this daily, but for your property size/scale, I don't believe they'll be necessary. 

Section 8 can be great because the tenant is only paying a portion of the rent, but managing the tenancies is not easy, especially a hard no from out-of-state.

What size project are you really doing and where is it located? 

Size 1-10 acres2.)

I shopped a significant portion of 2 days to obtain coverage at over twice the price. 

An Atlanta broker reported the average size of 20-30 units at 6 caps. - Every lender has a certain amount of distress currently.

You may not be able to get all of your money out, but often a portion so that you end up with less money in downpayment from your savings vs. the value you added and then you can scale to the next project. 

This will free up a significant portion of your monthly payment in which the difference would be applied towards your loc, plus you could potential pay down your home as little as in 5 years or so.

The owner-occupied portion makes things difficult, what options do I have? 

Would you have one completed for a property of this size?