These properties can often be acquired through creative financing methods like:Seller Financing: Negotiate flexible terms with motivated sellers who want to avoid traditional bank processes.Lease Options/Subject-To Financing: Take over a seller’s mortgage without assuming full responsibility, especially for properties needing renovation.Creative Terms: Adjust terms to fit market conditions, like offering lower down payments or longer payoff periods.Staying connected with investors and tailoring deals to current conditions can help you secure opportunities even in challenging markets.

So many LOs were preaching mortgage rate cuts, this time around, and now I am seeing rates still the same, if not even slightly higher than what they were a few months ago. 

Naturally my DTI is high, however my only debt is our primary residence mortgage I have had since 2020.

You might check with smaller outfits too like Co/Lab lending, Preferred Mortgage, Aceland Mortgage, and co-ops/credit unions.

Have you tried reaching out to any local mortgage brokers in the area for more options?

I look for a highly recommended mortgage broker and see what interest rates and mortgage products they have.  

The commercial loan should go on your personal Sch E of your tax return too, if the property is used as a rental, where the mortgage interest paid will show.

What that lien cert would not show you, however, are open mortgages, judgment liens, tax liens, other non-municipal liens, pending litigation, and the like.

While we were in escrow, the title company discovered that the owner didn't disclose a second mortgage on the house to neither her agent nor the title company, her plan was trying to dismiss the foreclosure in court and hope this would go away before anyone would find out about it.

You may want to involve an attorney for the purchase and sale and mortgage agreements though...