Cap rate does not apply to a three-family property or any multis that don't have 5 units or more as it is a commercial, income/expense based valuation.

The 10% YoY cap applies to primary residences only (homestead exemption). 

Your most cost effective and fastest method is going to be to apply some pressure.Good luck!

If you have any level of VA disability, the funding fee won’t apply.

Is there any way to write off these systems in some way, or would it need to be applied to the basis? 

That means you are negative on that property for at least 10 months, and remember, it costs you the full $5000 for that roof.Now, if you can include the cost of the roof in the purchase, that $5k in added cost is applied to the mortgage, and not out of pocket. 

If it’s a rental first, the percent of time owned that ou lived there is tax free, the 2 of 5 rule doesn’t apply as our predecessors “used the heck” out of that tax advantage when they wanted to sell. 

Hi Ray--I'd get some numbers from hard money lenders and then apply them to the property analysis to see which way the numbers work better.

@Trevor Carlson - Yeah, if you are using traditional financing (FHA, Conventional, VA) and are applying for the loan as a primary residence (not an investment property) one of the stipulations of most all lenders is that you take occupancy within 60 days.

This applies to all Insurance - Its aim is to reduce financial uncertainty and make accidental loss manageable.