My ideal scenario involves acquiring a 2-4 unit property or a single-family home with an ADU, enabling me to leverage rental income to qualify for a larger mortgage.

She can earn a little income by the interest she charges you, and any value you add to the home is hers really if you default.

That's another problem, I'm surviving on a small fixed income, therefore I can't afford to do any true marketing.

I have gathered information from the association, classes I’ve attended over the past couple of weeks, the media, Youtube videos, and a host of other sources.

house hacking has been mentioned here and I'd 1up for that as well, for sure the best way to get your first property, but in generally the path you are on into the brokerage and scaleable income is the way to go and what I wished I did right out of the gate.  

Look at the demographics of your specific location to see if the rent is within 30--40% of income level. 

My main source of income is from a 9-5 where I work 4/10's (Tuesday-Friday).Any thoughts about downtown Anderson SC? 

When adding the rental income for Unit 2, it asked for % sq.ft. rented out.

So if you think you can net say $45k/yr in profit it will take you 3 years to break even if you ignore income taxes.

How can I setup a Solo 401k if I have only rental income?