What strategies have you all employed to lower DTI and meet lender requirements? 

My strategy is to keep it for long term and create equity.

After thinking on it a bit more, I am going to look into the feasibility of a rent by room strategy to increase the cash flow and speak with some lenders to learn more details about what I'd need to provide to be able to consider these rents in my DTI calculation when I am qualifying for the next mortgage.

Have at least 2 exit strategies that you can use, if your plan doesn't work.For the cost of repairs, do not take responsibility for the unpermitted work, because purchasing the house will make it your responsibility and that's a risk that can undo your strategy in a heartbeat. 

I have some ideas, but I'm curious to see if there is already a strategy for this problem.  

These are two completely different investment strategies. 

NathanHey Nathan,A lot of the private/Hard money lenders that I work with do not require that, so depending on your strategy it shouldn't be an issue.That sounds like great idea though, it could set you up nicely to hopefully save up for a good primary residence.Would love to connect and talk through the strategies financially if you are interested!

I keep seeing all these strategies of little-to-no money down purchases, what do you guys recommend? 

If I were you, I would stick to the better situated markets and if the flip model is not working, focus on different strategies until you can make it work with necessary margin (especially on your first project where there will be a learning curve).

Transitioning from the NFL to real estate is an impressive pivot, and diving into fix-and-flips is a great strategy for building a strong investment portfolio.