In short, it makes economic sense on your residence, in very specific and controlled conditions. 

While they are not specifically midterm rental leases, they are specific leases for people that are staying 30+ days and that is what you really care about. 

If you have any specific questions or need guidance along the way, feel free to reach out.

Once you feel comfortable that you know where to want to invest and you have the funds for a down payment, all you need to do is get preapproved and start working with a realtor to identify a specific property.

We are considering walking away but are afraid with our budget we will not find a home that doesn’t have similar issues and risks.

If I were in your shoes, I would do the following:- set 6 months worth of income aside in a HYSA to save it for a rainy day (this will help shield you if you lose your job, or if something goes horribly awry with your investment properties)- open a Bank on Yourself life insurance policy (this is a specific type of high dividend paying whole life insurance where you can borrow against the cash value in your policy at any time and the money will continue growing as if you never took out a loan.

What specifically are the PMCs charging for that is restricting your cashflow?

Tucson Section 8 is valuing my two- and three-bedroom units in a duplex well below market rental rates because they said they don't have data supporting higher rents specific to duplexes (they won't compare to SFHs or Apartments).   

One would need to connect with a realtor, lender, there's inspections, there's needing a specific amount of capital to invest, tenants, property management, etc. 

Pergo Outlast+ is the middle one of 3 quality levels and is specifically rated for bathrooms and kitchens and advertised as waterproof.