But having a student loan does not mean you will be unable to buy a home, in fact lenders are prepared for this kind of debt and can help you find a loan program which suits your needs.

I'm debating about replacing it all with Lifeproof Luxury Vinyl in the off chance this occurs in the future as it'll be much easier to pull out a few boards and the vinyl would probably be a better look.

So I've decided after another thread that a LTR will suit our needs best for a starting point into investing.

There are a lot of different ways to invest and you should find a way that suits you and your skill set.

Use the cash in a traditional financing situation on more than one property, (OR maybe a bigger more luxury property) which give us a lower rental income return but longer term ability to do more?

There are valid reasons for raising the rents, and it does suit your business model.. 

Because of this I am exploring the various methods of creative financing in hopes to find one that suits my situation.

 @Victor Ong:I didn’t have the luxury of putting down 25%.

Then look at places with a secondary suite. 

Probably a slippery slope to an orange jumpsuit or maybe just a regular suit in court I'm not sure not a lawyer.