I'm looking at passive investments of smaller strip malls populated with combination of chain retails and small local businesses, and with a larger shadow tenant (Walmart, Target, etc.).

Or do something a little more creative like using a 203k limited loan to incorporate some of the larger costs (Furnace Mainly) directly into the mortgage vs out of my pocket in the future. 

Would a strip mall directly adjacent to a larger gas station raise any red flags? 

For larger properties I’d recommend Ubiquiti mesh at the high end or Eero at the middle.

Tenants have been in my rental since February with their dog and they pay $50 month extra as a pet fee.

There are larger national or regional lenders that you can find with google searches.

Don't buy someone else's dog!

I'd prefer to wholesale in the meantime to build a larger down payment as well.

People with 800 credit score will call to complain if the neighbors dog is barking, haha.As far as how bad tenants find a place to live, they keep applying until someone accepts them.

House 2 was a significantly larger and more luxurious home that was purchased with plenty of room to upgrade and on a 30 year fixed mortgage.