I'm new to BiggerPockets and was wondering if I have a 7-month gap in my work history, can I still be approved for a loan?

I definitely would not pay down my mortgage since you’re just trapping equity in your house and you may not be able to refinance it back out.

Rental income is by definition passive, so it is subject to passive activity loss (PAL) rules.

I was wondering if anyone has a detailed spreadsheet for managing the cash flow of an investment property?

And definitely keep your “rejection” letter short and to the point.

The proximity to HD is definitely true.

Hey Cody, I would not continue to expect the homes to appreciate as they have in the past, so I would definitely look in to trying to find something off-market, or by offering lower than listed on stale properties that have opportunity for some value add.

I have identified some properties that could cash flow well, but only on creative financing terms and looking to understand how the deal can be structured (1 seller is definitely willing).

Haven't thought about a lower vacancy rate, I'll take that into consideration.To your point about COCR with house hacking, I definitely agree that the money you are saving is a huge part of this picture that isn't exactly recorded on the biggerpockets calculators. 

I can present it to the HOA but I’m wondering if the HOA has any obligation to help compensate the overages.