Any capital improvements on a not owned yet property would involve a complex 1031 you’d want someone like @Dave Foster involved in. 

Sure, I could look for a higher paying job, but I was wondering if anyone has any creative short-term methods to improve my ratio.

We have been working in the affordable housing space for some time, and this allowed us to partner with the local community and provide a housing solution they need as their city continues to expand with new jobs they are successfully bringing to town.

Me and my wife are aiming to start our real estate investing journey with our first house around June/July in the Lehigh Valley area.

Investigate moving the lot line to put the house entirely on 1 property.

Ultimately you will have to sell your house at a discount. 

I know a friend who is an attorney, although they don’t specialize in housing law.

House hacking is an incredible way to live affordably while building wealth through real estate.

pid=2141Houston Real Estate Highlights for December and Full-Year 2024:-Following two consecutive years of declines, single-family home sales rebounded in 2024 with 85,163 single-family homes sold compared to 84,038 in 2023 an increase of 1.3 percent; -Total property sales for full-year 2024 were statistically flat at 101,864 units while the total dollar volume increased 3.1 percent to $41 billion;-December single-family home sales climbed 16.3 percent year-over-year with 7,162 units sold;-Total December property sales increased 13.6 percent to 8,478 units;-Total dollar volume for December rose 20.5 percent to $3.5 billion;-The single-family home median price edged up by 1.3 percent to $334,290 while the average price increased 5.0 percent to $425,150;-Single-family homes months of inventory expanded to a 4.0-months supply;-The townhome/condominium market experienced declining sales throughout 2024, and in December, volume declined 5.8 percent, with the average price up 2.5 percent to $268,152 and the median price statistically flat at $234,250;-Townhome/condominium inventory improved from a 3.5-months supply to 5.4 months.

There's a decent chance that if you have good credit and improve your DTI over the next year, you can put a Heloc on the property while it's still your primary to unlock some of that equity if needed.