Alternatively, there are high-yield online savings accounts like Marcus or others - the difference is that banks have some inherent risk, thus the FDIC insurance. 

Am I approaching this the right way, or am I missing a better alternative?

Denver Creative Housing, Denver Sublets, Roomies, Roommates, and so on, there are a few good ones)Also, I use Roomies as well because it is a site specific to finding roommate tenants, and there is a huge demand for it as well, so it is a great alternative to fill vacancies for houses if your owners are open to it and you price it correctly. 

If DTI is a problem for a new investment property loan but you have everything else (credit, downpayment, etc), then DSCR loans are probably an excellent alternative.

The alternative I had pursued the last two years was hard money lending.

Indeed, the FAIR ordinance is anything but fair to non-corporate landlords, seemingly punished for investing in rental houses to generate income as an alternative to stocks and bonds.A handful of opportunists likely could learn to exploit these new rules, preying on otherwise law-abiding landlords to obtain legalized shake-down payments.

Given the competitiveness in Scottsdale, exploring duplexes or triplexes might be a more feasible alternative to larger multi-family units.

There are some very good alternatives to using QB, including Xero and Wave. 

Alternatives to ConsiderIf you want to involve an entity for liability protection or other reasons, here are some potential approaches:Assume in Personal Name and Transfer to Entity:Assume the loan in your personal name and later transfer the property title to an entity.Important: Transferring title may violate the loan’s due-on-sale clause unless explicitly allowed by the lender.

An other alternative is VaultLocks keybox that allows for a temp.