So the only money out of pocket is any closing costs that don't get worked into a new loan.

Scaling up doesn’t always require 20% down—house hacking (FHA or 5% conventional), DSCR loans, seller financing, and the BRRRR method can help you acquire more properties with less cash upfront.

Seasoning for conventional loans is 12 months, but DSCR is really competitive right now and YMMV on seasoning for those.

The investor either gets a loan or buys the property in cash.

I can see the value in what you’re doing in the rural southeast—new construction in those areas has a lot of untapped potential, and I like how you’re handling the financing with Fannie Mae assumable loans and light debt.

Insurance right now is wild, so I'd get a solid broker on your team - I'd be happy to share my contact if that would help.Also, aren't most of the existing insurances shared on the OMs for the properties? 

If you can beat the ROI you're getting on the SFR, then do it.Otherwise, why can't you buy a 2-4 unit with a 3% down FHA loan?

The VA and Fha loans have been able to do it but their strict appraisal guidelines make it tough to buy the often older homes in my market in Virginia Beach / Norfolk Area. 

Ideally was thinking a duplex, triplex, or quadplex to get started and use an FHA loan but I also have a private lender that can possibly help with up to $200k worth of a down payment.

Here’s the situation:Purchase Price: $540,000Down Payment: 20%Mortgage Rate: 7.125% (30-year fixed)Monthly Expenses (Mortgage, HOA, Taxes, Insurance): $3,706Realistic Max Rent: $3,000As you can see, I’m currently short $706/month even with max rent.