Looking relative to some of the properties I’ve seen in the area, 1% seems difficult to attain and 2% seems nearly unfathomable.

If so, I would very strongly consider the merit of taking on $300k in debt in order to achieve this level of earning potential and perhaps explore cheaper ways of attaining this education.Rather than thinking about how you can mitigate a poor financial decision through real estate, I respectfully suggest that perhaps it's better to not make the poor financial decision in the first place.  

This way you can provide more value to a syndicator when presenting a deal on how it can be attained.

I figure I'll need at least 10-15 homes to get to my monthly cash flow goal but I see two different methods to attain this.....get the homes paid off (fewer purchases and I'll be helping to pay off the loan) or use 30 year loans (more purchases but I will not be helping to pay off the loan). 

You should be able to get one for as much as 75% loan to value based on the appraisal, not the sales price (make sure you buy the property right, don't overbuy)You should be able to close on the new loan in less than 45 days; ample time for the seller to get his cash and retire.It's all about structure for the purchase that sets up the refinance

However, there is ample space in the basement that can easily be converted into a 1-bedroom or studio apartment for a great value-add opportunity.We've been talking to some lenders about financing options, what they'd require us to do, the city about zoning/permits, etc., but I wanted to reach out to the BP community and see if anyone has firsthand experience with this type of situation, and if so, what you did. 

Thank you both.There are no cabinets under this bar - there is ample storage in the kitchen.   

Or can I attain a loan from any bank and add that property to my LLC?

Setting a realistic and attainable goal is also a huge first step.

Continue saving and promise yourself you’ll do everything possible to avoid going into CC debt again by having ample liquidity