This is very different from my interpretation from listening to the BP Podcast and reading Investing in Real Estate With No (or Low) Money Down.

Low skill work even homeowners can do.

Different shops offer vastly different prices, quality and service.

I'm trying to keep my debt as low as I can.

@Mike Conklin Been renting units for clients and for my own investments here in CT for a while and I have never had someone rent or not rent an apartment based on the type of cooking heating source.The quality of appliance may matter to a tenant, new vs beat up, stainless vs plain white, etc.I would say just go with whatever source you prefer and don't get caught up in what the prospective tenant will think.  

Creating an LLC from the get go and purchasing properties through it would exclude you from utilizing this financing.I run a $40 Million portfolio in the Cleveland area & I can tell you even at that scale the risk of a life changing lawsuit is incredibly low, especially if you are acting like a responsible property owner.

I would do the financing and my family member would self manage at the property and get a cut of the cash flow, this to me is a low money down option and also not very time consuming as I would not be the boots on the ground.  

Very very low interest rate, mortgage of $800 a month and homes in the area are renting for $1,200 plus!

I can't submit a "low" offer when the property is 30 days on the market because there is (with a competent realtor) too much activity.

You can also build a rehab budget into your loan with a 203K along with the FHA loan if you want, with as low as 3.5% down.