Your tenant base is limited since they have so much to choose from.  

Once you find the maximum limit you see if there are programs matching your wallet.

Located inside city limits within walking distance to shopping and restaurants.

You run the numbers, if the numbers make sense at a specific price point to make money worth your time then thats your limit, if not.......then its not for you. 

The problem with USDA loans although they are a great option if you qualify for all the income restrictions, DTI, and Credit Score ratios, first time home buyer, but there are geographic limitations.

The contract he proposed is to:purchase the house (20k above their purchase) for 75k.I put 10k into it to fix the roof and HVACHe puts what he estimated as 12k or so to rehabHe believes he can sell for 140k easily FSBO - or use flat rate MLS listingA recent comp nearby (only 1) shows a similar sized, but newer home, much less land, sold for 150k The house needs some new drywall, paint, unsure if tile is still OK, kitchen rehab, 2 bathrooms rehabbed, probably carpet in the roomsMy holding time is 90 days to sell apparently in order to qualify people for FHA loansIs this a good place to put limited supply of my money? 

You can contribute to an IRA from earning income only, and the annual limit on contributions is $5,500.

Located inside city limits within walking distance to shopping and restaurants.

One way to access your retirement funds to put into your own deal is to take a participant loan from your Solo 401k, the loan is limited to $50,000 or 50% of the balance, whichever is less. 

Although I have a lot of equity, I'm in the middle of repairing credit - which limits HELOCs and home refinancing - is there an alternative financing that would make sense?