Also, as said above, the houses you're buying for BRRRR are usually in awful shape and won't qualify for a regular loan. cash or equivalent up front is the most efficient way.  

my understanding is also that "active" would generally mean :‘regularly and continuously’ engaged in the business of leasing or renting real estate for income or profitnow we enter a grey area of conversation and back and forth, etc. on what this means.... just thought i'd drop this out there.... thoughts @Michael Plaks ?

Section 8 or regular if it doesn't get approved.

Take a look at google maps and you’ll see that end of Main St. has mostly fast food, dollar stores/goodwill stores, liquor stores and check cashing stores, not trendy coffee shops, breweries or restaurants (yet).

You might be able to convince a seller to hold the mortgage note (ie seller financing) and have you pay them in regular installments, but even in this scenario the seller would typically request some sort of initial down payment.

.- Block and neighborhood safety and amenities (can they walk to a grocery store, for example).I don't think you have to limit yourself to "white collar". 

I was chided for "giving legal advice" on another post when I was telling about my experience, so that this does not happen again I'll say I am not an attorney, just a regular investor passing along what I was told so you could compare it to what you have been told by your attorney. 

P.S. you can also look at converting existing buildings (think of closed shopping centers, grocery stores, etc.) as that will save both time and money (if zoning will allow it).

Both in established areas with many desirable amenities (public transport, good schools, grocery stores, jobs etc).

Drug stores and Walgreens in particular seemed very promising until I quickly realized that rent increases were often flat for decades.