I'm so afraid to underestimate costs.

Sorry to be so blunt about it but there is no way around it. '23'/'24' are CASH-COW years for hundreds of thousands of landlords.

Eventually I hope to cash flow where I'm making larger outright note purchases, but for now at my price point, smaller CFD's (around $15k UPB) are what I can afford.Given that these are CFD's, I'm noticing that recording costs are a little heftier than just recording an assignment of mortgage. 

I'll be adding on housekeeping twice a month (at my cost) and weekly trash pick up.  

Do you know how to determine reno cost?

Also, you are typically allowed 2% from seller concessions from your lender, and potentially even more, which can help with closing costs.

Get a thorough inspection to identify necessary repairs and calculate potential rental income versus costs.

We will renovate the fix up the first floor additional dwelling and plan to rent it out as a STR for the rest of 1st year to maximize the return of our renovation expense against our W2 taxes via the Cost Seg / Bonus Depreciation.

You will need 20% or even 25% down plus all loan and closing costs to make the loan happen.

Know the costs for fixing up the property and explore ways to pay, like bank loans, FHA loans, and local aid.