Buying Houses is A Sales Job - we are selling the seller on the fact that we are the right ones to buy their property.

Could there be a random lender that might find a way to get you 100% LTV at purchase, maybe, but I would assume those lenders are a) almost impossible to find, if they exist at all and b) the loan would be so expensive, that even the DSCR calculation would limit your proceeds to a point that you would still need equity in the deal.What would likely be a better route to look into is: an equity partner for your down payments.  

We purchased it because the house was a good price compared to the same quality in OKC.

You don't need a lot of cash to start house hacking for example, although you do have to be mindful of repairs, etc. 

We’re looking to remodel our small kitchen (about 12 x 12, L-shaped), and convert the garage into 2 bedrooms (not an ADU, no added bathrooms or kitchen, just adding bedrooms to the house).  

We are booking out now and should be full up for the most part by April.Our lake house isn't in as well traveled area as yours so it is hard to compare, but maybe ask AirBNB how their search impressions are calculated.

The way I heard it explained is that you take over the existing mortgage and then you can either rent it or transfer the mortgage to someone for free but the videos I’ve watched never say anything about giving the seller anything other than money down to lock it up.

That same house sells for $145,000 in my area.  

So if your first house was 500k and you used your VA entitlement you wouldn't really have anything left to apply to another house.

My suggestion to all housing providers is to make sure you do not include utilities with rent on the lease, reach out to your local apartment association for education, and be mindful of the laws in your ordinance.