My point is define Relatively what circumstances are you inferring?  

The mortgage payment is already high and my life circumstances have changed, making the payment even more of a stretch (not impossible, but definitely above the recommended percentage of take home pay).I am considering selling the first property next year (which has about $200K in equity) to do a mortgage recast on the primary and get my payment to something more reasonable.

Knowing the seller's circumstances is very important as well.I also like to keep in mind my goal for investing in the property.

The trustee, borrower or bank can ensure you get your hand slapped hard for approaching the circumstance as a work-out or foreclosure fix it guy without a license or being an attorney.Let's say that we can approach the owner and be in compliance, which you can.You will not purchase a note as an individual investor from a bank that has started foreclosure by making an offer like that.You get a request from the borrower for the bank to sell the note in lieu of payoff as demanded.

I am not the one making the payments, but it's still on my credit report.My limited income, combined with being a co-signer on the loan, results in a less-than-ideal DTI ratio.Under these circumstances, what type of loan or lender should I focus on?

One thing you generally cannot do is charge their rent based on the fact that you MIGHT have rented it out sooner if not for these circumstances.

Because of special circumstances I have one property I self manage.

I forgave a tenant of a certain circumstance, and I treat my contractor's crew to lunch when they are working on my property.In the future, show some professional courtesy and class by contacting a poster or BP directly if you think a post contains something "eerie" or nefarious. 

Once you’ve been doing this for a while you will be able to tell the difference between well maintained properties and neglected properties.

Given these circumstances, I believe there may be grounds for a class action lawsuit against these companies, and their owners.