We cannot get any  new mortgages in my wife's name as she brings in no income*I've started to investigate portfolio loans (commercial loans) but they are way expensive and will cut into most net cash flow, or I'll have to put down much more thus reducing monthly ROI.   

In the end the interest rate was either too high (along with the fees) or there was a ridiculous commercial ammortization that made it impossile to cash flow or, in the case of refinancing our portfolio to pull cash out, the LTV was reduced greatly to meet their "requirements" which made the loan and time involved getting it, pointless.So, we have a portfolio of properties where around half are paid off and half are mortgaged.

It's just (most likely) going to have to be at a substantially reduced priced.

so you have three choices:(1) buy a non-owner occupied property and rent it out (you'll continue living where you are now or somewhere else) (2) buy a multi-fam and live in one unit, rent out the other(s) (3) buy an owner occupied (OO) property and rent out a bedroom do the math on each - with an OO you may qualify for an FHA insured mortgage which should allow for a reduced down payment (perhaps as low as 5%, sometimes lower).

I may lose $100/month because I didn't include fridges, but consider the cost of just a single eviction, and it's worth it to substantively reduce the odds of dealing with that.Kind of an interesting minority opinion, eh?

@Fred,Your LLC could sponsor a Solo 401k.This would allow you to take income you generate from flipping personally with your LLC and make new contributions to the Solo 401k, thereby reducing taxes on your personal flipping LLC.The Solo 401k could accept a rollover from your current IRA and/or the other IRA you mentioned you have.  

@Tea MarieInteresting question because the pre-tax 401k contributions reduce your annual taxable income. 

I understand that a larger initial down payment would reduce the monthly mortgage costs, but that just means I forgo more cash upfront which still factors into cash flow.

Asbestos siding to reduce fires and damage and lead paint to be longer lasting:-(

If you find a place that reduces that significantly even with you coming out of pocket a few hundred a month, then it's worth it because you will still be saving money each year.