Instead, I propose starting with cities with a population > 1M and then eliminating any city that does not meet all the additional requirements.

But by transferring, does it eliminate the refinance option or make my available pool extremely narrow?

The size of the loan your seeking might eliminate a lot of PMLs, but based on what you're describing, I think you'll have options. 

It's better to take the chance on that than to take on a big renovation with a $60,000 profit margin and next thing you know you are significantly over budget and you have unexpected costs that eliminate the profit anyway.

Then you have recourse and eliminate the seller (and their credit) from the equation. 

@Mathew Smith I suggest you connect with local agents, investors and property management companies to eliminate your concerns!

He does know his market and makes sure he takes steps to eliminate the undesirable elements that will drag down his business overall and make life difficult for the tenants who do well.When you rent to someone, do you allow drug use, late payments, violent behavior and the like?

Thus I'm currently looking to use a channel manager such Guesty etc to eliminate the back and forth between apps etc 

Schools with low ratings eliminate almost all families with children.

Midway through the project I wanted to quit until I realized I could be my own GC and manage the rest of the project to eliminate costs.