With current market conditions and overall extreme competitiveness, this a matter of time is of the essence.

Rates are still incredibly low and you should be able to refinance at competitive after completion.

You can still expect to face strong competition and some multiple offer situations.

As many have referenced in this thread, your best locations are states and localities that are not heavy handed.. 

The "how to" is a river, ever changing and moving so it can be wrong from time, or the simply foundational fact that competition sucks and those who can will work to crush it at any and every potential.

The market right now is competitive for buyers and you may need to come in over asking depending on the property.

So correct me if I'm wrong, but you're saying that I should focus on sfh because there's less competition/easier to find deals?

So when your brand spankin new, and if you don't have some big "in", better known as your "Value Proposition", well you simply have no competitive value. 

Their programs are very competitive if not the best on the market.

You may need to spend some time writing down exactly what you/your investors are looking for in an investment property - Major city vs small town, cash flow vs appreciation, heavy-lift vs new property?