There are definitely pros and cons to each so I figured I would just lay out a few benefits and personal thoughts: Small banks/brokerages:Pros:- Some regional knowledge of the market- Possibility of more creative lending guidelines with bank specific programs- Sometimes they have competitive rates for their areaCons: - weak balance sheet (more strict on some guidelines, no wiggle room, inability to be flexible or grant exceptions because they cannot afford to hold less than perfect loans)- Can't scale with clients to different markets- Usually limits exposure to individual investors (they don't want one investor to be too big of a portion of their balance sheet)- Lack of experience with multiple solutions (tend to have 2 or 3 loan products they sell and are too niche to provide tailored solutions)Large banks/brokerages:Pros:- Large compliance departments that understand individual market guidelines (typically each state has specific lending guidelines that augment the national baseline)- Ability to scale into multiple markets with same lender (licensed in many states)- Impossible for individual investors to "outgrow" a large bank's balance sheet (not concerned with one investor's concentration)- More lending solutions available for different scenarios- Often comparable or better rates given the game is volume basedCons:- Can be more difficult to get fast responses if the bank/brokerage does not have good follow up systems in place (or if the underwriting/processing staff gets overwhelmed)- Bad large banks can feel less like a relationship and more like a cog in a factory (less personal)Overall, I have worked from both and worked with both as a loan officer, branch manager, and as an investor/client myself. 

It will likely be more difficult to rent to a able-bodied tenants and much easier to rent to disabled tenants, possibly at a premium since it is (almost) ready to go.

It's very difficult for somebody in your position to find an equity partner on a $50K rental property, let alone millions of dollars of stuff.As others mentioned, start small and prove you can make it work with your own funds first, then the partnership arrangements will find you.

We are out of country and having a very difficult time knowing what is going on on the ground.

During difficult economic times, fewer people tend to take vacations.

Selling the property, while a difficult decision, may need consideration based on the financial implications of maintaining it under the increased insurance cost.

Some rehab style lenders make it difficult for newbies to gain maximum leverage due to lack of deals done.......NOT US!

The more you customize the software, the harder it is to maintain and you end up with vendor lock which in simple terms you are at the mercy of your developer(s) as they are creating custom code that is difficult to maintain without them. 

I've read (all my knowledge is theoretical) that tenants on government assistance can be really rough on properties (I also see that as painting with a broad brush) but the government assistance side of that is pretty stable income, and it doesn't seem terribly difficult to raise rent either, just requires 60-days notice instead of 30. 

Very difficult to force collection on a debt not secured by an asset.