You want an accountant who can help you strategize and who is responsive when you want to know the consequences of the financial decisions you are making throughout the year.Good luck.

But when you can qualify and deal with the process before then - usually worth it to do bank options like this until you hit the scaling point (could be 3 rentals could be 5, could be 10 etc - no real "hard and fast rule") 

In addition, once you get the experience of managing from afar you can manage from anywhere and invest anywhere.

They can do all the laundry while they are cleaning.

Every single beach STR looks identical so just being different can make a huge difference in numbers.  

For investment properties sometimes you can do this if there is a history or using Airdna but never for primary residence purchases.

If you are looking for a mortgage for a home or small multifamily and you have a W-2, you will find options. 

You need to demonstrate a substantial investment ($100K+}, a solid business plan indicating your ability to support yourself along with any family members, as well as the projection of hiring US persons within 5 years.  

If you are still working there, you can ask the plan administrator if you qualify for an in-service transfer.  

Once things are stable again, then you can educate yourself and focus on how to improve your investments to protect you against this situation in the future.