If you're talking about investing in real estate, usually lower ROIs equate to lower risk investments. 

At that time of conversion, the "adjusted basis" of the property for is  - your original basis - a depreciation that you already took,  So when you go rent it out after moving in and renovating it, the depreciation starts over27.5 years but with the adjusted basis ( or FMV if lower). 

The interest rates are not that high from these companies and actually lower than what I would pay a financial partner to join me.

If you can negotiate a lower sales price great.

But what’s the best way to...I guess lower the risk of hiring a crappy manager.

Which will lower your capital available for investments.Option 2.

It is much better to just pay a 30yr down faster and maintain the flexibility of a lower payment.

Those are what hooked me originally and I have analyzed hundreds of properties since. a 4 unit would probably require a lower acquisition cost than a 5-6 unit due to residential vs commercial loan requirements, but there are some of both available depending on where exactly you are looking to invest.

I can then find another good deal- used vehicle for below market value, with lower miles, and a bit newer. 

It's extra work/headache for a potential buyer down the road if they ever want to refinance or sell plus it could be a potentially higher interest rate and down payment requirements so this in turn should make the market price lower than typical condo prices but shouldn't be a deal killer as there are plenty of community banks to shop around.