I am a CT based investor, flipper and property management company owner.  

Sounds like your 2 previous companies didn't know what they were doing.

Single-family management companies are seeing interest from buyers.

Over the next 5–10 years, I plan to scale to a portfolio of rental properties and eventually diversify into syndications.I’m particularly interested in the Lynchburg, VA market and other areas with strong rental demand.What I Bring to the Table:I’ve been saving aggressively, and I’m exploring physician loans to help get started with minimal upfront costs.I’ve done a lot of reading (shoutout to BiggerPockets books!)

You will get killed on the C and D properties which are usually the majority of most properties handled by a metro PM company. 

I'd need the interest rate to be roughly 5% to breakeven on an interest-only loan, and was considering a balloon payment in 5-7 years.

Strategies like living in a duplex or triplex, adding an ADU, or renting by the room can help maximize cash flow while leveraging FHA or VA loans for lower upfront costs.

Both Conventional loans and DSCR loans can offer this flexibility, depending on the specific scenario and borrower qualifications.

Your realtor will be able to give you a much more detailed market specific answer but with house hacking and a VA loan it should be possible to get 0 out of pocket.

I borrowed $30k on a personal loan from Discover for 15% with no fees for a plot of land and paid "cash" for it.