Renting it out while strategically leveraging the equity could be the best path forward.As @Jaycee Greene said, DSCR looks at your credit rather than DTI.

Contractors, unless you have a working relationship with them, normally do not want you bouncing ideas off them.Understand what their hourly rate is, have a discussion with them that you are okay with paying them an hourly rate if they walk the property with you and provide you a scope of work along with an explanation of what you can/can't get away with in regards to improvements.ask them if you go with them, if they can credit you the amount that you paid.Once you develop a working relationship with a few contractors, you can bounce ideas off them and expect quality responses.I do not invest in New York.Best of luck. 

The only other option I see is a short sale, if you don't need to purchase for a few years and don't mind a temporary credit hit to save the $60k.  

Solar has an energy credit and Starlink is deductible as business expense. 

If I didn't have to use credit for a portion of the course cost ($7k) and marketing costs ($1k/mo), I would do the course. 

As I said, check with local banks and credit unions.

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I'm wondering if a BLOC could help to build my business credit.

I have improved my vetting skills quiet a bit in the last year, so things are more stable now.

For a $300,000 property it could be $30,000.Then, do you have that much cash or credit available to you, in the event of a Due on Sale call?