To answer your question, I invested about 5 years ago with a group who had lots of optimism and confidence but lacked the necessary skills to properly renovate and manage a large apartment building (400-units).

Now the company is self sustaining even if we are running less than optimal due to COVID, being able to create a business where I didn't need to be there anymore allowed me more time to invest in myself, other streams of income, online marketing, passive investments, and real estate.

I think that skill set is immensely valuable, even if it's not optimal.

In general, I reckon that if you get EMOTIONALLY attached to a SF primary you want to buy, you WILL spend more on it than is financially optimal, and it WILL hurt your Debt To Income ratio and therefore slow down your ability to buy more bargain multi-plexes at whim.Will your extra retirement income wish, vs your pretty-home desire, be easy to resolve? 

As Darryl suggested, find a real estate-savvy CPA who can help optimize your taxes (balance write-offs and deductions with the need to show income). 

That would be optimal.

As others have mentioned there are ways to get properties with only 5%/10% down, however in my opinion this strategy is the most useful for a pure buy&hold play.If you're looking to BRRRR then putting 5% down isn't optimal, because you'll be hit with CMHC fees right off the bat, and you'll have to increase your equity in the property past 20% anyways before you can touch any of the appreciation you forced through renovations.

If you can hand deliver it that is optimal.

I'm all for the optimism, but 50% drops?

With that cash out it will put me at 67% ltv which is pretty well optimized in my book.