Rents are currently $1,200 per month, I expect to raise them to $1,375 per month when I add a storage container and do exterior fix ups (30k), the monthly payment is $3,660, so $5,500-$3,660=$1,840, so $22,080 cashflow per year.Summary:Utah is an increasingly expensive market.

The cost was a bit more, but my mortgage payments on the condo + condo fees were almost the same as the mortgage on the house and would I rather have the tenant paying the mortgage and condo fees or just the mortgage.

Is it better to renovate the basement of your house and turn it into a legal basement apartment or join a JV and use the money to make a down payment on another property to rent out?

Then last option would be a "unsecured" personal loan where the bank offers up to $50K for example to pay off and consolidate debts.The 2nd and the personal loan will pay off debts and lower DTI and you might have enough left over for down payment or just use VA again.

A direct booking site still has to process a credit card payment.

.** (Isn't that what making monthly payments on seller buyback is?)

Think of it as a portfolio mortgage and a first mortgage combined in one step to give enough security to have a low/no down payment for the new property. 

The issue is, I fell for his traps and gave him 75% of the payment (around 35k) because he kept saying he needed it to get done soon and I did not want to extend my lease too much because it was very expensive to do so.

In some areas, you will never cash flow (well if you pay cash or do a massive down payment).

I figure the interest only payments for land loan would be roughly $2,100/mo. (800K @ 8% for 3mo).