Most lenders will not put a lot of work into a loan until they have some sort of borrower skin in the game.

I was able to amass 8 SFR rental properties...got distracted with a nightmare flip in late 2015 / early 2016 (I posted about this awhile back)....but rebounded after that setback establishing processes, systems, relationships, and confidence one property at a time. 

They have more skin in the game then you do.Make sure you get clear title.

@Nathan Wiebe If you have been filling your US taxes and have an established/current US credit file, then you would be able to get conventional Freddie/Fannie financing.

Real estate is a long game, if you want to get rich quick your going to have to look at something with far more risk.

As far as end game goes, I would like to scale my assets to pull in more passive income by leveraging what I have into more and higher cash flow properties.

In my opinion, if you are into the buy and hold game, it is best to go for option 2 straight away.Option 1 takes considering more effort than option 2.

@Olivia Umoren contact a good mortgage broker to help you get a long and short term game plan in place.

The GP is very well established and looking to grow their portfolio.

They have more skin in the game then you do.Make sure you get clear title.