Any contact I've had with them has been at my initiation, even though I told the agent I would be ready to buy at the first of the year. 

A lease-option agreement can postpone the sale, allowing the seller to receive rental income initially.

I expect to have at least a few decent applicants in that initial 2-3 weeks. 6.

Initially, the properties that I buy in another market don't have to cash flow a lot, my metric is $150, as I'm focused on the long term gain when they're paid off  and I have a W2 and am also a realtor.

They seem to lack substance listening to their initial information.I liked Mark Podolsky but I was not a fan of his model. 

Initially, I was cash flowing, but 2023 and 2024, I have been negative cash flowing.

In return he will place the down payment, closing costs and IO payments during the HML.If the property is initially purchased by one LLC (Ours) and there is an active loan on the property, is it possible to register half of the property under the name of the investor's LLC as part of our model?

But having that initial plan- hell, even a scribbled outline on a napkin; will give you something to pivot from when the market throws a curveball.

This seems like an odd strategy - purposefully invest in an asset that loses value, with the hope that it will regain value (so you at least get your initial investment back) all to save a little on taxes. 

We’re open to zero or slightly negative cash flow initially, as long as the deal provides solid equity potential.