Since jumping back into the game, should I get back on that same list?

In a recent acquisition of a portfolio of houses, I got a 0.2 acre lot of land in Cincinnati (Westwood neighborhood).

I’ve got about $25k cash, $60k in credit lines, good contracting and industry experience (did multi-family portfolio management for a while) and no job (so no mortgage opportunities).For you MN folks, what’s the bottom of the “crappy but not tear-down” bad?

She works those neighborhoods and will know the best spots for you to get into the game. 

An IRA contribution can help mitigate the tax bite but not much.But I get your real issue - you are wanting to eliminate debt not increase the portfolio. 

The prices are much more affordable and I could scale a rental portfolio much quicker than in the city/suburbs, just wondering if they are too risky with the lack of employment opportunities in the immediate area.

You'd still have to put up some of your own capital and give up some upside however you'd take massive risk off the table.Another option; get a 50% LTV 1st Mortgage and use the proceeds to buy more properties that generate income day one.Land development is a high stakes game. 

If ABC, LLC gets approved for a portfolio loan.

There are immense differences between successfully building and running a B-class turnkey buy-and-hold rental portfolio out of state and doing the same with a C/D-class high-cash-flow/low-appreciation low-income rental portfolio in your own area.

Or would you always want the borrower to have skin in the game?