May the odds be forever in your favor!

You can do both in Louisiana.Assuming you use Bond for Deed...If you structure the deal correctly with a large down payment and favorable interest rate, the only downside is having your capital tied up.

It sounds somewhat favorable based on your post and you clearly know your numbers. 

I actually reached out to them and asked if they'd be willing to sell me the property, and they were in favor of my inquisition.

The best you can probably hope for is to find a diversified set of investments that will outpace inflation or to settle on some real assets you think will do favorably according to your crystal ball. 

Making it easier to qualify and right now rates are favorably low! 

Might be worth waiting a bit longer until i'm able to pick up something in philly, if the the other factors favor it. 

MTM favors the LL, tenant misbehaves, you can give them a 30 day notice of non renewal.

When simply offering full price with a $10k credit at closing sounds more favorable.

Price to rent ratios rarely meet the 1% rule and Property Taxes and PMI's eat away at monthly cash flow, so have any of you found neighborhoods with favorable numbers in these categories?