I finally realized that I needed a very educational based company and decided to choose the company that offered what I was looking for.  

Wondering if anyone has any advice on banks that would lend in my situation--lending based on the equity in my home alone?

You either need to choose a property that will appreciate a lot or you need to force appreciation by buying a property that needs work at below market value if you want to reuse your original money.Conventional lenders are going to want 6 months of seasoning before you can get an appraisal based on the after repair value.  

I could be totally off base here though.

I'm based out of Florida, but have been investing in Indianapolis as of late.

I personally would suggest raising the rent and adding in a higher Vacancy buffer, especially if you check the local rental rates and see its plausible based of comps.

CRAIGSLIST (search key terms such as "must sell" "owner financing" "needs TLC" "Make an offer" "Owner retiring") These are all key  phrases of a motivated seller you may be able to bargain with. 2.

The property analysis is based on recognized metrics such as cash flow, ROI, IRR, etc.

Looking to utilize the UTK student base?

Based on the numbers I see, it looks like I would only build equity.