I have enough for the down payment but want to minimize my out of pocket expenses.  

That said, there are certainly tactics you can (and should) be implementing at different parts of the cycle -- and at the inflection points -- to maximize profits on transactional deals and minimize risk.For more details, BP has a book on the topic (I'm the author):https://www.biggerpockets.com/...And I also did a couple BP podcasts on the topic last year:https://www.biggerpockets.com/...https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

THANK GOD the damage was minimal but one hell of a way to destroy your lease.

Because we HAVE to suck it up and rent for a little bit, I am trying to minimize moving twice in one year and interested in rent to own properties.In my search for rentals, I came across various companies that specialize in rent to own options.

A bpo is basically some rookie agent or associate going by a property snapping a few photos dumped into a file that they pull comps and county data on and say house needs minimal work etc and comps are not comps as your property most likely could end up a REO and using a house three doors down with new kitchens and baths does you no goodYou really need to do a lot of the work yourself as house value is critical with 1st position notes

I am not minimizing what is happening to them but looking at it from real estate,  the deeper scars will come if shootings and violence continue.  

Then sell when things are at a bottom to minimize your losses.

I manage them all my self and I haven’t had to many issues and COVID has been minimal ( one of my tenants lost their job.)

By living in the smallest living space available, you will minimize your cost and also spread your risk among multiple tenants.

Both of those needed a bit of work (one ended up needing more than we thought), but we fixed them up to minimize repairs and get them rented quickly.