This property will be the first of many, and we hope to continue scaling in Cincinnati over the next few years.To start out, our plan is to buy and hold a cashflowing 2-4 unit property using a DSCR loan.

That way you avoid using a lender and do not have to pay lender or loan officer points.  

You will be able to find a co-op apartment that allows rentals but whether you'd be able to close on it is another question.Co-ops with poor financials will have trouble selling units to borrowers using a mortgage.

Do you recommend using a general contractor, or would it be more cost-effective to handle it myself with subcontractors?

If it's a 1-4 unit, you will get good pricing using a DSCR loan!

Is it to borrow using a commercial lender that only lends to LLCs?

I have seen many consolidate their debt using a lower interest loan only to rack the credit card right back up and still have the loan.

Your refinancing costs + new fha loan would be about the same as just using a 5% conventional loan for your next property.

As mentioned the main downside to using a SDIRA to purchase properties is you get no tax benefit upside (depreciation) and have to pay taxes on UDFI.

Therefore right now I'm considering using a service for submetering and then billing separately (currently I live in the ADU and rent out the main house).Does anyone have experience with this?