This partner, McGuire is a heavy hitter, is in an excellent position to move the project forward, and they spent an hour on zoom last night (Feb 21, 2022) explaining why they are investing $7-8 Million of their money into the project.

Then there are the challenges with Section 8 tenants paying utilities and taking care of their rental property.

Make sure the units are fully furnished with all the basics, and consider including utilities, Wi-Fi, and flexible leases to make them more appealing.

Utilities paid by me or lawn mowing and snow, realtor commission for renting, legal expenses etc.  

If the didn't do that then they have converted to LTR or MTR rentals at a steady monthly income and have the tenants take over the utilities which offsets the loss of more income.

You say things like "It was understood that I would continue to utilize the garage and one room for storage as I transitioned to living out of state."

A lot of lenders used to apply 35% for expenses, but in the last several years, the numbers for supplies, labor, utilities, taxes, etc… have increased significantly.Also take into account the age, occupancy and how has the property been maintained, this will affect the expenses too

Shared laundry meant a fifth utility meter and high water costs that I paid.

Or find a property that is under-utilized or has below market rents.Otherwise, you could also do the OPPOSITE of the great advice from @Jonathan Greene and buy a property with multi-bed units or live in the larger unit and rent out the smaller unit - while getting a roommate(s).

That's just the max they will pay for rent plus utilities.