If the numbers aren't there yet, I'd suggest focus on growing your income, look into house hacking as previously suggested, or consider partnering with other investors who can qualify for the loans.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations / suggestions!  

I then suggest setting up a bank account where there is auto pay.

However, just to set expectations, they most likely won’t make any changes unless there’s a clear error in the valuation.That said, since the $1,000 increase works out to about $83 per month, I’d suggest checking what the market rents are in your area.

I suggest using a service like Mayistay.

open to any suggestions, insights or past experiences. 

I would suggest that once you are done reading that book - give it about a week and read it again. 

I am open to suggestions.

I'd also suggest Union City, where my wife and I owned a condo.

The hard money lender didn’t suggest going straight into a long-term rental loan, but honestly, that’s on me for not digging deeper into the options before jumping in.