For example, a full time employed person may not be able to see the property and apply until after their work shift, while someone else may have more flexibility and be able to beat the others to get their application in first.

Since you have no steady income maybe consider partnering with someone that DOES have stable employment that is looking to invest.

Thanks for advice , still considering either DIY or using agentOther question I have: my condo has HOA which does  credit,employment check before approving tenant and charges $100.  

Obvious reasons:Bad credit history, evictions, judgments, criminal record, not enough income, bad rental background check.What about:short employment history, no bank account or short banking record, short or no rental history, what about rental history being with parents?

Considering employer (5-6%) match and time on the 401k, the 10% may not be as big of a deal when its used to pay down 5% debt.  

We're both self-employed, and I assume reno loans will be harder to come by.  

You have time on your hands now that can be put to work building cash flow and wealth instead of selling to an employer at a fixed price.Look into commercial real estate.

Getting any sort of financing is hard when you are self employed, and you will need 2 full years of tax returns with self employed income to qualify for a loan.  

That's why I suppose the industry employs so many different trades.  

My balloon is $55k due in 6 months from now. 4plex is worth about 140-170k currently.My problem is that I am self employed and dont't show much income at all.