Two, you'll have a much easier time obtaining a mortgage product if you have a track record of W2 income.In the meantime, continue implementing the strategies you mentioned: save religiously, build your credit, pay any existing debt owed, etc.

Reflecting on the last 20+ yrs, when we could cash flow immediately with low cost sfr, had we gone with the higher priced properties and significantly lower cash flow, more debt, we could not have achieved IRRs even close to what the lower end product has delivered, nor paid off the investments. 

If your considering organizing a capital raise perhaps you should focus on large companies that advertise on the websites to be doing a capital raise with a debt offering.

They obtain and manage capital, whether it’s private equity/debt, bank financing or personal capital.

Utter blasphemy, only "unsophisticated" investors buy in cash.An experienced investor once told me "why use my cash, when I could just default on OPM" I know its not popular thought on BP.. and of course ramp up requires it unless you inherit a ton of dough but as we age out I sure like free and clear and no debt.. just the hassle factor of having to make payments :)

A good DST would absorb the rest of your debt nicely.

House gets foreclosed on when a borrower is not paying its debt obligations - typically its mortgage.buying foreclosures is not for the faint of heart as you have no idea of the interior of these properties lastly while it can be beneficial also realize if there are a lot in an area those homes are the new comps when trying to sell so it lowers home values in an area 

On the other hand, if you're aiming for long-term rental properties, getting prequalified with a lender specializing in traditional loans or DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio) loans is key.

Two main reasons being: (1) debt does not increase your basis in an S Corp, which means your losses get limited.

(income = 3 x monthly rent, Debt-To-Income, etc. can still be used!)