It seems to me as you add properties that are cash flow neutral, your Debt / Income ratio will continue to go up and up, even though your ability to pay will not decrease. 

., my ability to get off the ground faster than others is hampered by the fact that I can't eliminate the expenses tied to the aforementioned items.

It seems even if you've taken $1 of the PPP money, it could hinder your ability to close.

I know plenty of older folks in my hometown who know and trust me and who have money and the willingness to invest, particularly in real estate.Here’s the question: how can I help an agent be confident that I have the ability to purchase a home without a “pre-approval” from a bank?

I also have the ability to add custom pages or a blog, without needing to have any skills whatsoever. 

The big benefit of Cozy is the ability to use the credit and background check for the guarantor of each property, in addition to direct deposit-yes we do have a lag for the deposit to process.  

Smaller franchisee under 100 unit operator likely 35 to 40% down.Cap rate you can get will depend by state and your price range abilities.

My question is how others have managed their out of state properties successfully without having the ability to just drive over to it.

The benefit of the conventional loan as opposed to a 3.5% down FHA option is that you will topically see lower interest rates and have the ability to terminate PMI payments once your LTV hits 80%.  

For us the willingness to put our home on the line came down to repayment ability.