Does not seem like a situation conducive to building up that next downpayment... plus when I leave, now there's a $1500 +/- hole that will leave me in the red, regardless of whether or not I can find a couple to fill it.More research to be done, but my preliminary findings lead me to believe that, in Seattle, my only real route here is to be tenacious about seeking out a deal on a distressed 3-4 bedroom, and then go all-in trying to rehab it so I only have to eat one, maybe two full mortgage payments. 

For us, "project completion" is defined as the date when all work is complete, all inspections passed and permits officially closed, and the final client walk-through is complete and approved (we complete a preliminary walk-through in the last week of the project to blue tape any remaining issues and create a running "punch list" that is shared with our clients so everyone is on the same page).