My husband was able to consolidate and re-finance the debt after we executed the deal but this was only possible because we bought a VERY modest property of 70k as a learning tool to really see what buying a home in CR would be like. 

My sacrifice… no haircuts and no fast food. 1 job full time, 1 full time side hustle. 0 debt at the time other than student loans.

Maslow's Hammer for all the restoration companies you've reached out too.  

You can then get financing either through refinancing the entire debt stack or getting a second mortgage with the same bank that did the first mortgage.  

Many of my customers who are traveling nurses buy condos or townhomes in Florida as vacation homes, then rent them out when they're not in town.This system has proven to be very lucrative, as it allows them to service the mortgage debt and generate a good cash flow.

I've done a lot of DTS marketing and found that almost all my leads were either tire kickers or if they actually wanted to sell, the property had so many entanglements (multiple family members involved, tons of debt on it, municipal liens, etc.) it wouldn't even be worth it.

Also, you will likely only be able to use the rent to offset the mortgage pmt debt on the rental property to $0 since you dont have any Sched E history yet. 

Do DSCR loans qualify if purchasing through 1031 w/debt-carry-forward requirements?

I'm at the beginning of my investment career, fresh out of college and pretty heavy in debt at 7% interest.

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.