Only nonrecourse loans will not affect your personal DTI - if you personally guarantee the debt, you're going to take the DTI hit for it unless you can qualify for it to be excluded.Find a local lender who is skilled in working with self-employed and investor clients and talk through your situation with them. 

Deal acquisition is an art, so dig in and make sure the deal is good and make sure the numbers at up to what you think is good! 

For tenants to continue paying comparable rent, new companies must move into the city and create replacement jobs with similar wages and skill requirements.

Where to buy in Detroit is just as much art as science.

Some of the best skills I've learned are basic real estate math and finance —being able to analyze potential deals to see if they are feasible and can generate good profit or cash flow. 

Accept that the successful RE investors have a well developed skill set that is not immediately acquired.

An activity is a personal service activity if it involves the performance of personal services in the fields of health (including veterinary services), law, engineering, architecture, accounting, actuarial science, performing arts, consulting, or any other trade or business in which capital isn’t a material income-producing factor.7.

Also some people have no comprehension of the work and skill involved in executing a good value add and the compensation I expect for executing one.Be cautious in dealing with family.  

Partner 1 brings in deals and manages the business Partner 2 brings repair and renovation skills Partner 3 lives out of the area and brings capital What is a fair way to structure/put a value on the partners finding the deals and managing the business.

Do you have the skills to do the work yourself, or would you have to hire someone?