Money is an emotional thing but you need to take your emotions out of the equation.  

I feel in this equation that we are not "most" people.

If you know these two equations-https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/01/1...

That equates to 10%-12% return on your money.

This equates to about $100 - $150 per property per month.  

The financing part of the equation should be the LEAST of your concerns.  

Luckily I'm on the other side of the equation- I already made my investments here, and all this craziness and nymbism is limiting growth and tenant turnover, but adding value to my properties by restricting supply.

The only way to get it done these days is to sign up for all the REO sites (Xome, Equator, HomePath, Res.net) and wait unless you know someone who can get you into some of the larger scale REO events to network with the asset managers.

That being said, sometimes, it may be worth co-mingling the assets in the same LLC because of the administrative burden however, when you introduce separate partners into the equation, you should want separate LLCs.

You can even go diamond pattern to the linear strip then square the rest of the way just to mix it up from bathroom to bathroom.Ultimately you should go with what a majority of yoyrvtenants will like the best and whatbis the most cost effective (which equates to cost per tile vs the longevity of the tile).