But with that one lender I found I am not lendable due to not having proof of income for the last two years.

WIth the new FHA & Fannie Mae legislation, many lenders are forecasting the rental income from additional units, even if they're not a zoned duplex.

They've gone as far as writing algorithms that pull data points like crime rates, age, median income, number of coffee shops and hundreds of others to create heat maps of where to buy.  

If you can’t do a 1031 to a non-income tax state, figure out a year when you will have lower income and tax rates ar as low as possible.

Sorry for the tough love, but not buying the above.You & your wife's salaries should cover your expenses, while the income from your remodeling gigs should be saved.Recommend you review EVERY dollar you made and what you spent it on in 2024.

Top producing real estate agents in many market make over a million a year with a whole heck of a lot of them making 200 to 500k.. the other 60 % of agents will not make much but it could be a secondary job and they are not the primary income producer in the family.. 

Through proactive maintenance, efficient tenant placement, and careful financial management, I optimized rental income and ensured a steady cash flow.

I average about $2000 a month in cashflow on the current rental property, and the new property would bring in around $3500 in gross revenue.

A debt service loan would be a good option if your DTI is high, you want to close in an LLC, you're self-employed or have low income on paper, or you don't have a stable 2-year work history.

Verify income: Always make sure they make 3 times the money required monthly for rent.