The market in my area is hot and it seems the deals that I find online are the left overs.

Of course, then you won't have anything leftover to cover any damages, which is why most leases prohibit tenants from using it as payment for the last month's rent.

With interest rates being bid down to 5% or less,  how can you offer your investors any reasonable return and still have money left over  for you?

For example (and just picking arbitrary numbers here), let's say:Current living expense: $1,800/monthHouse to hack mortgage: $2,000/monthRental income from house hack: $1,600/monthExpenses (including $400 leftover on mortgage): $800/monthIn this example, I'd be losing $800 out-of-pocket per month, but I'd be able to save an additional $1,000 from my day job over my current situation that I could use toward a second property.

We bought our first home (already at a good price - owners were very motivated to sell quick) in Kailua in late 2016 with a loan from my parents for the down payment and have done a lot of improvements already which has upped our equity quite a bit, so at this point, we are waiting for at the very least the 2-year mark as well as a few other improvements before we sell again, and we are hoping we will make a pretty good profit, pay my parents off, and have leftover to move on to the next property. 

There were new books left over from courses I had taught, camera lenses, etc. that could have brought some good money, but the time invested was just not worth it.

If there is money left over after all that, perhaps you need to do nothing.Paying more money to the principle just to get the deal to work is only artificially making it work.

If you qualify, you could use a Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) for the difference (the $125k you were talking about) left over after buying the property you’re lookin at.

They get the house ready and then you sell it off and send whatever money is left over back to the investor.

A little drywall work some paint in a few rooms and taking some leftover crap to the dump is not a big deal bro .