So many successful investors come from the construction/carpentry/plumbing/electrical industry because it was there advantage.

Looking to hold this as long term investment and rental income. 

I've found a lot more success working with newer brokers as opposed to experienced brokers, who, rightly so, have a lot of preferred buyers that they're initially bringing all of these deals to. 

I understand there’s some nuance state-to-state in terms of deed of trust usage vs. using a mortgage for the second lien position (our investor in this case).So that we can arm ourselves with the most knowledge going into discussions, could anyone advise what the setup process actually looks like here?

Also, as Jason Hartman says, inflation helps you pay off fixed rate debt as you pay it back with "worth-less"dollars over time--basically benefiting from a non-inflation adjusted, original purchase price in the distant past.To Your Success!

I'm currently the owner of a couple long term and a couple short term rentals. 

Is your property in SD a long term rental?

For investment properties you should be using private/hard money lenders, but if it's a primary or you have a long window of time to secure the financing then traditional may be the way.Overall, it should be easier to get approved via creative financing though as there are options and workarounds for nearly every scenario (they just may cost more the more creative you need to get).

I want to do long-term rentals to section 8. 

I know the prices are high there but as long as rental prices are high too, that's ok with me.