I am not in an HOA so there is no rental restrictions.

There are so many misleading "gurus" and advice from others online - that don't make logical sense.Who do you think qualifies for an S8 voucher?

I have searched for this on the forums extensively and online, to the point where I've started building my own and writing the code myself.

I checked online and generally folks say Bank of Texas or local credit unions.Thanks! 

There are some restrictions so I would encourage you to look into it to see if eligibility applies.

Several things to consider: 1) One of the main purposes of segmenting your assets into separate LLC's is so that your personal net worth or equity in other business ventures or properties isn't exposed, so unless you have a high net worth or a lot of equity in a property, it might not be worth bothering going the separate LLC route, especially when it restricts your financing of the property.  2) Most any commercial financing you get from a local bank for a small property is going to have recourse anyhow and require that you sign a personal guarantee, so you're still personally on the hook to the bank even in the case of a commercial loan.  3) If you're a newer investor and buying a deal that's tight on cash flow, or if you don't have a ton of cash sitting in the bank already, your greatest risk factor as an investor is your investment failing economically due to poor financing terms or not operating the investment properly, not because you get sued. 

Of course, with all things, the answers to all these matters will depend on the circumstances.California tends to have more laws on the books and requirements and restrictions that it can be a good idea to form a CA LLC for out of state property so that you as a CA resident are covered, and to try to have your contracts fall under the purview of CA courts.

Also, consider the potential for appreciation and rental restrictions, as some HOAs have rules that might limit leasing later on.Given your $20k starting point, a condo could work well as your first step into real estate, especially if you focus on one with a manageable HOA fee and potential for appreciation.

I've managed to compile a lot of information online about her Ponzi scheme from various sources.

Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.