Does anyone have any tips or tricks as to how to optimize their function to reduce the bill, or even perhaps another suggestion entirely regarding HVAC?

Analyze and optimize your personal finances, and invest in less capital intensive vehicles (index funds, blue chip dividend stocks, bonds) to save up for a bigger down payment.

Sounds like he's interested in optimizing cash flow. 

One could also be remote, it is just not as optimal normally we can understand.

I mean, obviously the selling agent knew the arv and they probably figured 40 k of rehab to bring it to optimal market price so they listed it for 170k. 

For example, if you are going to focus on Google Adwords, you have ads and are continually running optimization tests, you have all keywords setup (including negative keywords!) 

I too love South Florida but beware of optimism based on past figures. 

Unless you're closing so many deals that you'd run into scheduling conflicts, a good working knowledge of how your lender determines the timing of your first mortgage payment can help you optimize the benefit from the rental proration (assuming the property is currently cash flowing).

@Brian Ellis re: your routines, it won't be perfect but as long as there is progress every day you'll continue to like the feelings of progress and will optimize so they get better and better. 

Boulevard, Ocotillo Wells, Descanso.I've got kids too ... would be better for us to have a certain and sub-optimal plan than an uncertain optimal one.