I am very familiar with the process for acquiring and analyzing an existing structure but have no experience building something from the ground up. 

Tenant shall be liable for double the Monthly Rent in the eventthat Tenant retains possession of all or any part of the Premises after the EndingDate of this Lease.

@Jim Garrett Not sure how this works in Arizona, but in NJ, were we in your shoes, we'd retain an attorney experienced in evictions and start the process with him/her, taking notes along the way. 

Seek out a rental loan lender that lends on 1 to 4 unit properties in the market where the properties exist.

When a tenant refuses to respond to any means of communication, that indicates they're trying to hide something and I'm right almost every time.What red flags do you watch for with existing renters?

Contact information for existing/previous property management company.Purchase Agreement Clauses for Buying Tenant-Occupied RentalIf you’re considering buying a tenant occupied rental property, there are some documents you want to acquire for review prior to the closing.

So you still need that day job to keep buying, or to actually refinance your existing properties.

I'm just exploring what possibilities might exist at this point.  

More importantly, how did the existing lender get away with it?

For our 4th once we are either going to put a heloc on one of the existing STRs, and use the cash to help pay for the next one or do a cash-out refi, and use the cash to get the next one.The other advantage this has is that if we are able to make an all cash offer on a home, we might have a better chance of getting the home in a hot/vacation market.