With $30k available for a down payment (and a bit of buffer for other expenses) and excellent credit, I'm looking to finance conventionally with ~5-10% down.  

Excellent thoughts!

My wife and I have both excellent credit scores, high paying jobs and plenty of assets.

There's an Excel template that would let you do this exact scenario.

Contractor selection is essential here and we were fortunate to have picked all excellent operators.

They have excellent ratings on google and the better business bureau.

With a little work you may be able to find cheaper or more convenient options.I also wanted to point out that for anyone who just wants to learn about real estate in RI in general, the pre-license courses are an excellent and relatively inexpensive way to do so.I sat in on classes back in 2003, which were offered by some broker.

This way we maximize cash flow (these properties have excellent cash flow and better appreciation than we’ve had on any of our MF buildings, plus the added benefit of the cap gains tax exclusion).

I have excellent credit score.

I specifically purchased a place that would make an excellent rental and then after a year i did it again using an exit lease agreement. this is the legal and right way to use res loans without committing fraud for housing.