After a few months, on March 31, 2016, I was finally matched with an amazing 10 year old boy.

This will give you the ability to match your list up against the DNC list and remove any numbers in common. 

The goal should be to purchase in an area where your real life cash flow can closely match your paper cash flow. 

The city does offer a number of loan types that can be partially or fully forgivable, for owner-occupants or investor owners, most requiring some form of down payment or matching funds.

I guess now I'm weighing the opportunity cost of stashing pre-tax dollars into a 401k above employer match instead of taking that money to invest in real estate.

@Peter Nikic, Sec 1031 defers gain and makes no specific distinction between short term gain and long term gain. 

The good news is that if your bet on #1 pays off, then selling the property 10-30 years down the line won't be a problem, as another investor will happily snap it up and participate in the returns.So, if the rent is there, justifies the value, and matches the style of investing you want to do then happy hunting :) 

My company offers a 401k matching program of 25% of my contribution up to a maximum of 10% of my salary. 

I have sent the bank recent Zillow sales nearby that have similar interiors that match this home and support my appraisal request.

The relationships they have and the volume they produce is going to be impossible for an individual to match or even come close to beating.