Have you looked into conventional loans?

I am doing a 5% down 30-year conventional loan @3% interest rate with a local bank.How did you add value to the deal?

My DTI is around 45% so I’m still hoping to find conventional financing. 

If you buy a property in your own name, you might go after a conventional conforming Fannie/Freddie type loan.

So we know that conventional financing just isn't going to work. 

Instead of doing a refi to pull the equity out of your primary home, is there a way that you could save up enough to purchase your first deal with a conventional loan OR do a value add deal and then refi out of that?

I worked with a mortgage broker and got conventional financing.

I'm running into hurdles as conventional loans will not loan to a LLC and I've spoken to some smaller banks in Texas, but they are offering higher rates.

My thinking was to refinance, without pulling out the equity, to a conventional loan so I can rent the house out in the future.

There are 3.5% down FHA loans, 5% owner occupied conventional and down payment assistance programs you can look into.