I do not have 15-20% for a downpayment to traditionally buy another unit.

I would do shrubbery and some lawn care-but then you will need a service contract.Enquire with the local trades for the best products to handle changes in weather and snow removal etc.Are you going without a PM on this project?

Unless your near a town stay away from traditional storage. 

Outside of utilities you can also require that tenants manage snow removal and general lawn care/property maintenance.

Traditional bank loan? 

The property has been listed for 70 days and I called my buyers agent to submit a traditional offer.

As the heart of LA gets increasingly expensive, more professionals are moving further south toward the 10.As to your question: yeah, for any traditional loan, your income is going to limit your borrowing power.

However, if the appraiser was referring to the style of house, such as tutor versus mid-century modern versus Cape Cod versus traditional, etc, then yes, that has some merit.

The first was a SFH home that I wanted to buy but didn't have enough Cash to get traditional financing.

Very mild winters with little to no snow means homes sell year round.