Yup...it fits in really well with owning real estate.

For future properties, I'm in search of a better fit and was referred to Precision Realty & Management as an option.  

And this should be a "living and working in ___ environment fit's good with my life" kind of things. 

It is a community of lenders that you may fit into! 

I care deeply about good Architecture and being a developer is the best fit for me to introduce a better built environment.

I think I haven't seen that floorplan you are talking about, not sure how you can fit 6 people in 500 ft2, do you mean 4 people?

Like Brandon mentioned - you sound like the picture perfect classic "DSCR Loan" borrower - dscr loans are made for exactly this typically - LLC friendly and usually the best fit for when investors hit the 5 or so property mark and hit a roadblock with banks, cash etc like you desribed.Check out this 12-part article series published here on BP on all about DSCR Loans, hope it helps!

We actually started when we bought a property to buy and hold but it ended up not being a good fit for our portfolio so we sold it.

I am looking for insight on whether out of state investing is a good strategy for a first-time investor and/or a fit for me and my situation.

Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all approach.