My ideal situation would be to place it on a loan as soon as I can to recoup my cash back and gain buying power again.

Obviously there are various types of loans you can get, especially being a first time home buyer and making this your primary residence...

We had been "househacking" or renting our old condos before that. 12 months ago, we paid cash for our current rental (because we couldn't get a loan as a result of a recent short sale). 

Thinking about refinancing to get a lower payment, or cash out refi or Home equity loan which would free up more cash to speed up the process and use that money for a down payment. 

This is value add opportunity- rents had previously been under market value (450/month) and since acquiring the property and renovating it, the management team recently raised the rents to match market value in the area (525/month) The property is projected to generate over 25k of monthly income, a cash flow of almost 11k a month, and the annual cash on cash ROIis projected to be nearly 32% This would be my first large multi-unit apartment deal and I’m looking to either obtain a commercial loan for the property or (ideally) find private/hard money lender that would might also (eventually) serve as a partner/mentor/associate/eventual first to a smart, hardworking, and ambitious young real estate investor.

I got a little over $17,000 back.I inquired on getting a rental property next, only to find out that my debt to income ratio is slightly too much to get a loan through the bank.

Could we buy it with an FHA-type loan and house hack while I'm working in the area AND write off the rent of the apartment we'd be in as a business expense for my freelance gig?

I’m funding my first private loan this Monday.

The seller owns a property in an LLC but has a loan in their personal name.

Commercial loans remain competitive.