Don't forget that at least at the local commercial level most of these guys and banks know each other so if you get a good relationship (demonstrated by multiple notes with one guy) they see it and it is a confidence level for the second guy as well.I guess my long winded bottom line is develop a relationship somewhere for the first few then expand out. 

Already at the entry level I feel a burning desire to succeed in real estate and a passion I've never felt before.  

From what you have listed I feel that I help homeowners is more personal and could appeal to a seller on a more personal level, however the I buy houses approach is more to the point of what you are trying to do.

One strategy would be to create a metrix to identify those properties of yours that would yield the greatest amount of cash but have the least gain and that you've owned for the shortest time (but still over a year so the gain is capital not ordinary income) so that your depreciation recapture is minimized.

The work included replumbing the entire home, new furnace and A/C, new water heater, Lower level gut and refinish, new patio, new garage door and garage repairs, new roof, kitchen gut, bathroom gut, hardwood refinish, new flooring, new doors, new trim, a lot of drywall work and paint.

To protect yourself from potential downturns, you should look at markets where housing returned to pre 2008 levels.

The DOS has a very clearly defined exposure level (loan balance + new closing costs).

I think looking at our properties collectively, at the portfolio level (even if you only have a few doors), is going to be important going forward. 

As such, this is not an area we have delved into at the level of detail required to answer the question at hand.  

They can use a little more common sense in these types of situations (your education level, your track record, your income, etc) and lend on that basis.