I’m that that homestyle offers:Lower interest ratesMore flexibility Less red tape?

This will also make the private loans a more attractive alternative as they aren’t as restrictive - you can own in LLCs, more underwriting flexibility, may not require income tax returns, etc.

If you can get a conventional loan and make it all happen I would definitely go that route as it will be cheaper but if you are needing more flexibility a quicker close and funds for the rehab as well as the purchase than I think hard money or private money would be your best route. 

As a landlord, you're only saving $1k/year per property, so it may not be worth it to sacrifice flexibility in leasing for that amount of money, depending on the property/ tenant.

These loans are a lot more flexible than "conventional" loans.

Assuming you are both working, you should be able to continue saving.You will still have cash in your pockets and you will have flexibility to try and rent the current home for additional cashflow, or simply sell outright and get more capital to add to your stash.

Basically, I wanted to keep the flexibility rather than boxing myself into a smaller corner.For me, if I was committed to holding a property for at least another decade, no matter what, I might look into it again.

The minimum loan amount there is typically $500k, but there may be some flexibility below that (probably minimum loan amount of $250k).

My understanding: In order to surpass that limit, one can work with portfolio lenders who have more flexibility.

I found that by far, the smaller local banks and especially credit unions, were able to provide the best financing available. 3.75% is a great rate for a residential property, let alone a 11 unit and they were flexible on the down payment which is less money out of my pocket.