Take advantage of the lower downpayment programs early on and once you are tapped out of conventional loans, I would consider alternative financing. 

great alternative to small time investors with limited capital.. doing 20 though would be quite a bit of work.. selling coaching has basically zero liability when you start to manage investor capital your liablity goes up a ton in the unlikely event of a water landing..

In a pricier area, or if you’re banking on a perfect scenario, that cheap credit can suddenly get very expensive.I’m curious... if you went down this route, what kind of safety nets or alternative strategies would you have in place in case that perfect timeline doesn’t pan out?

If you're looking to househack again, then the conventional 5% down is a very viable alternative to the 3.5% down FHA option. 

They are not alternatives for the same goal. 

Sometimes the items are not a deficiency but merely a recommended alternative way to complete something and those can normally be talked away without even making them into the report.

Each individual owner can have their own Deferred Sales Trust:, the assets of which can be managed to each taxpayer’s own individual risk tolerance and preferences. 4) A 1031 Exchange alternative or rescue- Unlike a 1031 Exchange, the proceeds from the sale do not have to be invested in “like-kind” property in a very short timeframe to achieve tax deferral.

Could be a good alternative instead of selling. 

But the thing is, I don't want to completely rely on other people to manage my money, so I've been experimenting with a bunch of alternative investments, including some exotic ones, like marine vessel acquisition, law firm financing, lawsuit pre-settlement advances, etc.  

Bigger Pockets sent out an alternative investment article which included ATM investments as a suggestion.