Or do I have to have a lower total loan balance by sacrificing a lower down pmt?

Those years are sacrificed.  

You can get better tenants and less headaches with higher end properties, but you will be sacrificing ROI.

I'm sure that there will be an opportunity, and I don't want to be the one to get burned because I sacrificed cashflow just to get a "deal" done!

Both funds have a three year lock, so you are sacrificing liquidity with funds.    

Can anyone advise the best way forward to attain financial independence and begin building my own equity , without sacrificing the comfort and security that comes with living somewhere I don’t have to share or leave when someone else says so?

Even if you had that amount in cash, you could easily lend it out at 10-12% to other investors and use the income stream to pay down the principal balances.Put your money to work and use the return to pay down the lower interest rate loans without sacrificing your working capital.

The problem with sacrificing on margin for a "great tenant" is all tenants are still people.

I applaud you for sacrificing and saving up.  

I sacrificed my income in those years so my kids would have as good as chance as they could have coming out of collage..