If I am renting a place to live in, does that count as part of my debt to income ratio when attempting to acquire an investor loan for a rental property?

How your lender counts income is a big key in your growth. 

I can count on one hand the number of times I've needed an attorney involved to do a deal between myself and the seller. 

The problem is, talking with a lender, I don’t know if they would count the carryback as a down payment, which leaves needing an investor again.

Buy the biggest thing you can, honestly don't worry too much about the unit count on paper if you're going to be living there.

Small 3/1 or 3/2 over large with same room count.

Chris hit the nail on the head in regards to school counting towards employment history!

What they're counting on is that you'll just go away. 

I never sit down like Scrooge and count my money.I have absolutely no financial goals, but I figure that if I am going to work an 8, 10, or 14 hour days I am not going to do my very best during those hours.

Appraisal= $258k/ purchase price = $230k/ Built-in Equity= $28,000/ Down payment cash $27,000.I have $27,000 cash to put into a down payment on the above home BUT, I need to use some (about $10,000) for a new roof/gut...