I am still learning about REI (a little late to this party, I should've been learning about it much sooner) but it seems like OOS would be our best bet for monthly cash flow. 

I would have a column for expenses directly related to rental portion, and one for related to the whole house.

I bet you’ll get it fixed ASAP!

Your best bet is probably to call a bunch of banks until you find one

Not sure about his experience with SD fraud but if he can’t help I bet he can point you in the right direction. 

A 50% LTV loan is a pretty safe bet so you'll probably be able to get somebody to bite assuming you're willing to pay the points/higher interest.Another option would be to contact some credit unions in the CT market you're property is located in.

@Alex Silang I am not claiming to be an expert but I think your best bet would be to look for a turnkey provider in a place conveniently close to you and see if they would be willing to give you a role in what they do - maybe doing something you are already good at, so they benefit, and in return you see and learn what they do.I am suggesting this because in my line of work there are many many people with academic and theoretical knowledge but they often haven't ever really applied any of it.

Driving for dollars seems to be our best bet as of now.

My wife's tiny little home town in West Texas suddenly got a big boost as they found a bunch of oil nearby the other year and suddenly all bets were off.

So areas like that are not a smart bet compared with more urban areas.