any advice here on how I can get my mortgage down or any tips in general ?

You want to crush your job so you keep getting promotions and keep making more money so you have more borrowing power.

They town asked me to get an architect. 

I can still get as many as I want.

Ideally, I think many new agents want to go full time but would like to build a pipeline and get systems in place before leaving the 9-5.

Even in the midwest which offer nice beginner markets where one can get in for under 100k on purchase, you will need 40k+ and the more the better. 

I'd really like to get into STR's and I'm trying to figure out how people find STR's that work even with a mortgage.

Walls come down, kitchens come out, and bathrooms get a major facelift.

The tenants are still under lease, so why would they get their deposits back?

House hacking is perhaps the best way to get to cashflow other than buying off market (most likely finding the lead yourself) and doing a ton of work to get it rent ready, which is obviously cash intensive and time intensive.