I have only been at this a little over a year, but have learned patience really is a strong virtue in this. 

in particular make sure you know the value that will be added by the ADU and that in your case both units may be rent controlled (no 15 year exemption in some jurisdictions for a garage conversion were garage is over 15 years old.  

Lived in it for 2 years and bought a bigger house and have been renting for the last 10ish years.

I assume you deduct it over the next 5, 7.5 and 15 years?

The goal is immediate cashflow that will quickly increase as we fix-up and/or lease up the properties, which ultimately will lead to a higher property value and a cash-out refi within the 5-year term.Do you happen to know of any good portfolio, bridge, and/or DSCR lenders, private or otherwise, that may be willing to work with such a scenario?

They are young, still in college one more year with minimal income.

Year 2 you will get close to your potential revenue, most say year 3 is when you hit your peak revenue.

I won't be ready to buy an investment property for another year or so, so in the meantime, I'm practicing my researching skills as much as possible.Thanks,Chris

Another thought is to find some previous guests (like myself) that are still around, or still alive, and bring them back some years after their previous show, to kind of document their RE journey.

However, your appreciation potential (especially in the last 2 years) is great.