Setting up google alerts for your local market helps you stay on top of things.http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/home-sales-in-tampa-bay-and-florida-show-down-as-inventory-shrinks/2255091

One question:I would like to be able to buy outside of land contracts and I have not yet applied a loan via  a conventional bank.

I was told the other option would be to purchase all three, one on owner-occupied terms and the other two conventional/investment, recombine them into a rental and then refinance.

I called around to a few small local banks, and found one that had 2 properties they had in inventory and needed to get them off the books.

We did this with a construction loan from a local bank (no money down but we had about 13K in savings and 40K in retirement as assets, good credit and a W-2 job)  We got a conventional loan to take out the construction loan out, again with no money down due to the loan being about 68% LTV.

.- Notes: my residence has approx $200k equity and is currently a few years into a 30-year conventional mortgage at 3.25% interest.

First any buyer who can will get a mortgage conventionally since that represents the best terms for debt.  

Since I have such low equity, a conventional refi is out of the question as I don't have the money to reach the 20% mark.

PASSES SECTION 8, Use & Occupancy, Rental Registered and renting for $1200, I will refinance out of it and get a conventional loan.  

I see a few options and I'm trying to understand which route is the smartest.Don't buy anything until September, try to save up for a conventional 20% loan and buy my first primary residence.