They can also go out in half that time.

The risk of building a hotel a half mile away wouldn't be as risky as it would have been when you were just hearing rumors about the amusement park.

My rehab is simple where I am replacing the floors with LVP, repainting, adding a half bath, kitchen redo, and bathroom redo.

Three months later, I regretted the decision because someone dinged my door and I realized I could have had the same tax benefits with a used vehicle for half the price.Long story short, I think you should continue sacrificing until you've reached your goal.

Provided a tenant is tech-saavy "enough," this feels like the cleanest and easiest way to me. 

House hacking is, in my opinion, the easiest way to get your foot in the door with real estate investing!

Let's say your payment increases by 200. 13,250/200 = 66.25 months which in my opinion would be well worth putting less down because you wouldn't see that amount out of pocket until 5 and a half years down the road through interest.

If all you need is another $7k the easiest route is to go to a local bank or credit union and see if you can apply for a personal loan.

Given this, I would have to find an already half vacant property or where a tenant's lease would end shortly after closing. 

Have you thought about buying a duplex where you can live in half and rent the other half?