@Martin JenkinsI think it’s best to do one deal first and work out the challenges in your systems if you have any, then you can go for it with multiple projects.  

I have not bought a house due to not wanting to deal with everything that comes with home ownership so not sure how the numbers work out but right now I feel like the money I'm paying in rent is frivolously being spent when I could be using it towards a mortgage.

You'd get experience, you'd be networking with other investors and might stumble upon a deal you can work out for yourself. 

The market in my area (Somerset County)   I know the owners well enough over the years so its possible I could work out a deal with them being the already established connection i.e. seller financing but not relying on this to be my sole option. 

Maybe you can work out a seller finance deal with him.

How did it work out?

Even if I have to wait 6 months to refi the math would never work out.

Because if that’s the reason, then this particular deal seems to lose its significance, due to the current time constraints and ability to work out the funding details (partners, etc).

You just might need to drop the rent slightly and let the laws of supply and demand work out

It doesn’t always work out like this.