You need to approach lenders with numbers ready and a good understanding of how HM works. 

@Jay Hinrichs yeah I'll be learning out of Angwin, my parents live right next to the north approach.

He said he and his repair-man are going to come over tomorrow to see about a different approach to fixing the pipe with the electrical tape currently on it, and 'spray' the mold in the kitchen (and in the Master Bathroom, another location with 'suspicious looking' spots).    

It's also important to keep in mind that every additional rental property you own is another potential source for legal trouble, so if you grow to a certain size(and Terrell might be approaching that size), it's almost inevitable that some tenant will get a valid reason(such as falling through a porch you didn't know was rotten) to sue you over a 10 year period.

The closest alternative would be to purchase a SFR and find roommates, or get incredibly lucky and find a property with multiple detached units already built on it (which in many cases will not be in compliance with modern zoning regulations).

each of these will take a different approach and has different risks and rewards 

Especially since we are fast approaching the last cash flow community left in CA.  

Also have seen a couple realtors, recently, list houses slightly below market value to make the quick commission, which has a negative impact on the comparables for the short term, which is why I am looking into the lease option approach. 

If I need to bring my own contractor, how do I approach a contractor about working together?  

I follow the core/satellite approach to portfolio diversification where the bulk is in very safe/conservative assets which allow a smaller satellite portion to be in riskier.