We manage roughly 1,000 SF properties and I speak around the US and other countries with many people that are successful and want to get into this strategyI don’t think there is a right or wrong because everyone has different goals which means different strategies to achieve those goals.

The reasons that landlords in Maine have often achieved successful evictions include: non-payment of rent, substantial damage to the property, and changing the locks on the doors.

Don't let your limited mindset stop you from taking action to achieve what you want. 

https://www.har.com/content/newsroom/Houston Real Estate Highlights in April: Single-family home sales rose 7.8 percent year-over-year, with 7,586 units sold, marking the third consecutive month of positive sales and the biggest volume increase of 2019;On a year-to-date basis, single-family home sales are 2.2 percent ahead of 2018’s record pace;Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes edged up from 56 to 57 days;Total property sales increased 7.8 percent, with 9,063 units sold;Total dollar volume jumped 9.6 percent to about $2.7 billion;The single-family home median price rose 2.1 percent to $245,000, achieving an April high;The single-family home average price was up 1.9 percent to an April high of $310,676 – the second highest average of all time;Single-family homes months of inventory reached a 4.0-months supply, up from 3.5 months last April and the most plentiful level since September 2018.

Focus on your lead measures (3 battles that if you win those, you are betting you will achieve your WIG)3. 

I realize scenario #1 will be even more difficult to find than typical financing and that the numbers in both scenarios will have to be even better than in a 20% down payment situation in order to achieve positive cash flow, but if I can know WHAT to do then I can set about doing it. 

A good indication of where you can position the property would be comparing it to the rents achieved in a comparable property where value has been added.  

I expect and can get more for my SFH rentals. i want  more like $350+ a unit but that is not typical and my be difficult if not impossible to achieve in some markets. 

I love the area but the prices are high and it's hard to achieve the 2% that everyone talks about.

This will also allow you to take time on the work and learn first hand each step of the reno process-You have to live somewhere, might as well learn REI in the process - no better way to learn it then to submerse yourself in itWhen I calculate the cash flow for my house hacks, I look at where the rents for each unit will be by the time I renovate the units and am ready to move out (I choose a 1 year window) - Don't focus on the lost rental income while you are occupying the property, you need a place to live anyway - I view the negative cash flow as rent.