If first time home buyers are having a difficult time coming up with the funds for even the costs to play as a first time home buyer then are the non profits supposed to pay the buyers agent commission too? 

Network with other local investors and always have a solid emergency fund.2.

And the truth is, if the investment property was completely passive and you had zero connection with it, such as an arbitrary stock in a mutual fund, then I would agree not to get emotionally attached to any one investment.  

Quote from @Juan Ruben Cortez: I believe the funding fee is 0.5% of the remaining loan balance, plus maybe another $500 - $1,000 in lender fees. 

Meaning you may be able to do some cosmetic or smaller renovations like bathrooms or kitchens in your duplex when the tenants turn over and those smaller investments can demand higher rents, so in the longterm you may have more cashflow from the duplex to help fund a future investment in another property while you wait for market conditions to change.

Also, let me know if you’re ever exploring partnerships or raising funds for a deal—I believe in combining efforts to scale faster and smarter.”

You need to save up the funds.

2: Could all the funds be better utilized in another deal based on the numbers you are seeing in your market?

They also want a priority lien on the property.It sounds like you are looking for someone to fund your down payment, I would be looking for an equity partner over debt as nobody likes to lend money in insecure positions, especially when a borrower lacks skin in the game.How much are you planning to come in with yourself?

What I'm planning: buy and hold the property, brush and clean it up with intent to hold until cost of funds drops a little in 4-6 months.